Let Me Bear It All
by wishful-thinking3
Summary: A mysterious new girl transfers into Hogwarts and grabs the attention of everyone including Draco and Voldemort?
1. All That Is Me

Disclaimer: All locations and characters from the book Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and various publishers such as Scholastic Books and Warner Bros. Inc. This project is non-profitable and there is no infringment intended.  
  
Keywords: Draco Voldemort love triangle  
  
Rated: PG  
  
Author: Mary D.  
  
Let Me Bear It All  
(Chapter 1)  
  
-------------------------------  
  
She laid on her bed staring up at the ceiling. Her usually tamed, long, silky, and black hair was spread out around her head. Her almost perfect skin (she got a zit last night) had pillow marks on it. Her round brown eyes were still a little swollen with little morning glories in the corners. Then, her luscious lips were slightly stuck together from the lack of moisture.  
  
The sun was brightly shining through her lace curtains. It was the ones her mother had bought when they moved in five years ago. She told Tabitha that they were only temporary, but they never had the money nor the time to buy new curtains. The same goes for the rest of the furniture that was in Tabitha's house. Everything was either given to them by friends or family or was extremely cheap.  
  
This didn't really bother Tabitha, however. She rarely had friends come over, but they didn't care. In fact, they all treated her house as if it were theirs. Well, they weren't rude or anything, they were just extremely comfortable. To be honest, she didn't have much friends. She only had three real friends.  
  
Tabitha always stayed in bed during the weekends. It was a little difficult since her window was facing the east, which is where the sun rises. She mostly enjoyed trying to recollect the dreams she had the night before.  
  
Tabitha's eyebrows were scrunched up together as she concentrated hard on her dream. "That was so weirrrd," she thought, "I can't believe I had a dream about Harry Potter. God, I have to start laying off those books.. I mean, it's the only explanation I have. After all, I've been reading them for four days in a row. It's just so freaky how I was in Hogsmeade. Okay, let me see what exactly happened again. There was.. no wait. I'm in Hogsmeade walking through the streets, but no one seems to think I'm weird. They don't even notice me. The scene changes and now I'm in the Forbidden Forest? No..it's just really dark and there are a lot of trees. Or wait, I don't even know how the Forbidden Forest looks like! They're just books! ....but... in my dream, I just know it's not. There are people in cloaks all around me. Are they death eaters? They seem like it. In my dream, I know that I have to get away from these things. But that's when the scene changes again, I'm making eggs. Scrambled. There's too much oil, but in my dream I say it's okay because the fat is healthy for me..? Yeah, that didn't make sense. Okay a lot of stuff happens after that, but I can't remember them. Anyway, um..walking..I remember walking. Oh yeah, I'm in Hogwarts and I'm walking in the hallway. That's when I see the Trio. *laughs* It's really corny, too. As I walk towards them, everything begins to move in slow motion. But I'm outside of my body, but I'm still watching myself..oh and then there was.."  
  
"Tabitha! Tabitha! Wake up! It's late. You should've been up hours ago!", Tabitha's mother cried from the kitchen.  
  
"I've been up mom! You should've checked."  
  
"Well, hurry up and get here. Breakfast is ready. Oh, and don't forget to clean your room and also the house. I'm leaving for work now. Oh no! I still need to clean the car! Ok I'll do it tomorrow...or.. oh, I got to go," Tabitha's mother power walks back and forth looking for things, while Tabitha lazily sinks into one of the chairs at the table and begins to eat her bacon and French toast. With one last check in the mirror and her watch, Tabitha's mom dashes towards the door but not before she gives Tabitha a kiss on the forehead. Tabitha, as always, gives a little grunt.  
  
"Mom! Don't forget, the Senior Prom is gonna be this Saturday!"  
  
"Yeah, okay. Bye, sweetie!"  
  
"Bye..mm.." The door shuts."..oomm. heh. Figures, she's always on the run. I wonder where she gets all that energy. Wow. I can't believe the Senior Prom is this Saturday. I feel so old..wait! Why am I talking to myself again?!?!"  
  
So she washed the dishes and put away anything that wasn't eaten and proceeded to clean her room. She never really CLEANED her room. She just arranged things so that the place didn't look so cluttered. She didn't even bother cleaning up the house. Her mom was so busy and in a hurry that she wouldn't notice anyway. Besides, when her mom finally did have time, she'll see all the mess and clean it up. That's just how it was. Her mother was always doing something.  
  
It got lonely having a mother like hers. "Well it's understandable," she thought, "She's a single mom. She has to do a lot of things, but I'm an only child. This isn't fair. Why do I have to stay at home? No..wait. I don't want to ask her for money. She already has so many bills to pay. Oh yeah. I have homework. Eh, it's math. It can wait till later. I'll just go onto the Internet. No... I can't do that," Tabitha sighed, "I still have to clean my room. God, I'm such a dork."  
  
After cleaning, or rearranging, her room, Tabitha went on the Internet and chatted for a while to her best friend, Ina. Ina was always there when Tabitha had a problem, but Tabitha didn't seem the dream last night was important. Besides, it was mostly about Harry Potter. Ina didn't like the Harry Potter books as much as Tabitha. Actually, no one in their group of friends liked it as much as she did. Ina, Mia, and Emily all read the books but they didn't care about it. They said it was "good". That's why Tabitha never got the courage to tell them how she felt when she read. She felt like she was inside the book everytime she read one. She would feel cold when it was winter because the winds could get into the hallways at Hogwarts, or that she would feel full whenever there was a big feast in the Mess Hall. It all seemed so silly. So she kept it to herself.  
  
The rest of the day passed just as quickly as the rest of the week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday didn't seem to exist. Well, maybe Friday because that was the day Tabitha became really nervous. She decided to check her list of "To-do's".  
  
"Whew, okay, I have my dress. Check. Get a date. Check. Get film and camera ready. Check. Money for pictures. Check. Make up. Check. Fix Hair (or find a style that looks nice). Check. Shoes. Check. Breath Mints. Ha! Check. Well, everything seems to be in order, but I'm still nervous. What if I bore my date? I mean, it's Eric Schultz! I've been crushing on him since.. our freshman year! I can't believe he asked me! Hmm, this is nice. Oh what if something GOES WRONG!? Breathing exercises. Breathing exercises."  
  
Tabitha couldn't sleep well that night. She had the usual symptoms of stress and insomnia, tossing, turning, walking around the room in the dark, more tossing and turning. It was around two in the morning before she was able to go to sleep. That's if you can call it sleep. She woke up around six in the morning from another Harry Potter dream, but she couldn't remember much about it. It just had something to do with Dumbledore, being in that dark place again, and thing turning into chickens everything she touched something. She quickly forgot about all of this when she went downstairs.  
  
"I'm up so I might as well do something," said Tabitha, "I don't think I can sleep again. I know! I'll cook for my mom. It'll be my gift to her for paying for most of my prom stuff." So she looks throughout the kitchen to see what she can make, but to much of her dismay, her mother didn't go grocery shopping lately. The only things that were left were half a bag of flour, lamb chops, bacon, hot dog, and some eggs. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do with half a bag of flour. I can't cook lamb chops. I'm afraid of bacon because of all the oil. I guess I'm just going to make hot dogs and eggs." She boiled the hot dogs (since it was the easiest way too cook them) and she fried the eggs (with thoughts of Eric here and there). The eggs were scrambled, of course, because that's how her mother liked them, and liked them, she did. Her mother was surprised to see Tabitha because: 1) She was up early. 2) She was cooking breakfast.  
  
"Since when did you know how to cook?" Tabitha's mom asked.  
  
"Ever since I was eight. You just never saw me," Tabitha replied.  
  
"Oh, I see. Thank you, sweetie."  
  
"It's nothing. Don't forget the prom starts at six in the evening and ends around 11 or 12 at night. My date will pick me up at five."  
  
"Okay, just promise me you'll take care of yourself."  
  
"Don't worry, mom. I will. I'm a big girl now." Tabitha laughed.  
  
"That's what I'm worried about. You're not my baby anymore."  
  
"You know that's not true. I think."  
  
Tabitha's mom finished her breakfast and was off to work. "Have a good time!"  
  
She gave a nervous laugh and said, "Well, let's hope that I do." She started to get ready for the Prom. She showered, brushed her teeth twice, and took special care when putting on her deodorant. She took her dress out the closet and laid it on the bed. Tabitha stood there staring at it in her bathrobe for a couple of minutes. She loved her dress. It had an off-white color. It ended just a little bit below the knees and it flowed with the slightest movement. The top was designed as a tube top. The dress looked like a river that started from her chest because there were no stitches or designs except for the fake white rose that was at the top center of the dress. There was a another layer that was made out of a see-through material that was cut in a wavy and jagged way just like the solid portion of the dress so that it looked like the bottom of Tinkerbell's dress from Peter Pan. She always loved Disney movies. In fact, she was planning on fixing her hair just like the way Belle did in Beauty and the Beast. The only difference was that she was going to give the ends of her hair some large curls. Finally, to finish the outfit, she chose her black combat boots.  
  
She finished just in time because five minutes later Eric rang the doorbell. "Whew, off I go to face my doom." She opened the door and found in front of her the most incredible sight she ever saw in her entire life. Eric was in a suit, which this alone could have made her melt, but he added his touch to it. He didn't button the top button of the inside shirt he was wearing and this neck tie was loose and hung so that it gave Eric this relaxed look. His hair, which was usually spiked, was down but a little messy. A few strands were on his forehead and made him look even cuter. Then, he wore is old converse low tops. Tabitha practically fainted from looking at him. It looks like Eric felt the same way too because there were staring at each other for the longest time. Each had eyes that looked like there were going to pop out at any second.  
  
Eric started first, "Uh, hey..T-Tabitha. Uh, you look great. Uh, yeah." He couldn't keep eye contact his her, and his shoulders seem to be going up as if he were scared or shy of something.  
  
This surprised Tabitha. She thought in her head, "Oh my God, he's actually stuttering! It looks so cute!"  
  
"Um..thank you. You look good, too," Tabitha said while she smiled.  
  
"You look really happy."  
  
She laughed and said, "I am. Okay, let's go." She grabbed his arm and they walked towards his car. He opened her side for her and they were off to the hotel where the Prom was being held.  
  
When they got there, Tabitha saw all of her friends and their dates. Everyone talked, joked, and laughed, but just a couple of minutes before the dinner was going to start, Tabitha needed to pee. She tip toed to she could get closer to Eric's ear and told him she was going to go to the restroom for a while. He acknowledge and let her go.  
  
The closer restroom was ridiculously filled with a lot of girls talking about make-up and such, and outside an enormous line of dates were waiting for them to emerge. Tabitha didn't want to wait so went to look for another restroom where she could be alone. She was just so excited that the night was starting off so good that a little walk might calm her down.  
  
She found a sign hanging from the ceiling that marked a new restroom, but as she was about to turn, she noticed how the hallway seemed dark. She could she the faint light that came from a corridor on the side where another restroom sign hung from. At this point, she was about to burst so she ran for the lighted area and took a left into another hallway. She went into the empty ladies room and did her business. She washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror. "Does he really like me?" she thought, "I mean he's been smiling and staring at me a lot. Dreams...If only.. no I highly doubt it. I mean, why would he like me? He only asked because he saw how I was sitting by myself in English, and he pitied me when he found out I didn't have a date, yet. Yeah, that explains everything." She looked at her watch and realized she was gone for too long. She didn't want Eric to worry so she ran out of the restroom and just as she was about to turn the corner, BAM! something pulled her head towards a hard surface. Her head felt funny and blissfully light for a second, and then everything went dark.  
  
....To Be Continued.....  
  
--------------------------------  
  
Author's note: I realize how this chapter has very little to do with anything involving Harry Potter except for the dreams, but that's only because I'm being very detailed with things. The story will progress. The dream recalling was probably the most fun to write. I tried to remember how it feels like trying to tell someone about your dreams, and sometimes you forget huge chunk's, while you remember the weird little details.  
  
If you're wondering about the title, I chose "bear" to mean "to be accountable for" or "to endure"; not the animal. 


	2. A New Awakening

Author: Mary D.  
  
Chapter Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer:All locations and characters from the book Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and various publishers such as Scholastic Books and Warner Bros. Inc. This project is non-profitable and there is no infringment intended.  
  
Let Me Bear It All  
(Chapter 2)  
  
"Ugh..," she grunted as she awoke. Her eyes were squinting as they slightly adjusted to the light.When she realized she was on the ground. She thought, "Why is it so bright? I thought I fell in a dark hallway. Maybe the sun just came up and it's filling the hallways with sun rays, but that can't be it. Wouldn't someone see that I wasn't there at the Prom and go out and look for me? I didn't go too far off from the others. Where am I?!?" She rubbed her eyes and sat up straight. She was in an alley way.  
  
As, she started walking someone with a maroon cloak passed by her. "A cloak? That's weird." She was still wearing the same outfit she had on for the Prom, and that fact alone made people stare at her. People who were all wearing cloaks. "What is this?" she said to herself, "Where am I?? It can't be.. I got to look for a sign, a newspaper, anything that'll tell me something!" She turned to her right and saw a bunch of stores. They lined up the road. On the other end she saw a train station. "Train station? Stores? No..way." She looked at the store across her more closely and saw it. The sign said "The Three Broomsticks". "What?!?! I'm in Hogsmeade? This is just a dream. I mean, sure I dreamt of it so this has to be a dream. I've always wanted to be here, but.." She ran to the train station. She knew that there was a sign that clearly said "Hogsmeade Train Station", but she had to hear it for herself.  
  
"Excuse me, sir," she said to the man in the ticket booth.  
  
"Yes, how may I help you?"  
  
"Um.. I was just wondering where am I?"  
  
He gave her a confused look and said, "Excuse me, what?"  
  
"I need to know where I am."  
  
"You're at the train station in Hogsmeade."  
  
"Oh. Thank you."  
  
She left leaving the man more confused than ever. He even muttered something like "...too much butterbeer".  
  
"This is it. I'm going crazy. It's either that, or I really am in Hogsmeade. Why am I here?! How did I get here? I need to get out. This is too weird. No I just need help. Dumbledore! God, I can't believe I'm going to do this. Actually seeking help from Dumbledore. He's from a book! Then again, Hogsmeade is, too. Here goes nothing." So she ran up the road to where Hogwarts was located. As she ran, she actually saw it. She saw the enormous castle with the gates in the front with the two gargoyle statues at both ends. She stopped. She couldn't believe how close to the actual building she was. All those times she imagined she was in there, and now she was going to try to get in.  
  
As she approached the gates, she didn't know what to do. Would they let her in? Would anyone be there? Did the professors really go out and have summer vacations? But most importantly she needed to know if Dumbledore was there. The gates opened for her and she continued to walk on the path that led to the Great Hall. However, there was the case of the gigantic doors that led into the Great Hall. Her first impulse was to knock.  
  
"But that's stupid," she said, "What if they were on the fourth floor? How would they hear the knock from there? Magic. I hope they used some kind of spell on these doors. What if someone did answer the door? What should I say?!?" Her heart started to beat faster at the thought of meeting someone from the books. Then, she slowly got the courage to raise her hand on knock three times. At this point, her heart was beating so quickly and with such force that the only thing she could hear is her heartbeat. She stood there for at least a minute when the doors started to make noise. Someone was opening the doors. "Okay, you can do this," she said to herself, "You have to do this. Where else are you going to go?"  
  
She was expecting Filch, but it was actually Professor McGonagall. "What are you doing here? It's Summer Break. Shouldn't you be enjoying it like the rest of the students?" Professor McGonagall asked with curiosity.  
  
"Please, ma'am. I have to speak with Professor Dumbledore."  
  
Professor McGonagall raised one of her eyebrows. "Is that so? and why would you want to see him?"  
  
"Well..I.. um.. I need him..to um..," Tabitha stuttered, "To..help me!" Professor McGonagall was so shocked at the sudden burst of words she jumped back a little. "Please, please. Let me see him. I need him to help me find my way back home."  
  
"My dear, I can always do that for you. I don't see why you need Professor Dumbledore to do that. Now just tell me where you live and I'll see that I can do."  
  
"No! It's not like that. I live somewhere else, but at the same time I live here, too."  
  
"What on Earth, do you mean?"  
  
Something strange was happening. Tabitha wasn't too sure about it herself. She knew she lived on an island, but what was it's name? Upon seeing the sadden change of character in Tabitha, Professor McGonagall then said, "I would take you to him, but I'm afraid he has gone out for an urgent meeting."  
  
"Could I at least wait in his office?"  
  
"Oh, all right, but you mustn't touch anything."  
  
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Tabitha exclaimed.  
  
"No need to cause a commotion. Calm down and follow me."  
  
Walking through the halls of the castle was too surreal. Tabitha examined every bit of the castle that she saw to the very last detail. The stones that were used to built the castle eroded from age. The window panes had little patches of mold here and there. The carvings in the arches were ornate and mystical on its own. Tabitha almost became dizzy from looking at so many things at once. Before she knew it, they were in front of the gargoyle with the cross swords.  
  
"Tootie Fruity!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall. At the sound of those words, the gargoyle jumped to the side and revealed the spiraling staircase that led to Dumbledore's office. No sooner had they entered when Dumbledore entered through a portkey.  
  
Upon seeing Dumbledore, this rush of hope surged though Tabitha's body. His very presence. Made her feel happy and secure. However, Dumbledore looked as though he had a heavy load of stress an work on him. The twinkle in his eyes were there but somewhat dull and his smile seemed to sag. It made her feel terrible for bothering him. She wanted to run away. If she did, maybe ieverything would go away/i...  
  
"Professor," Professor McGonagall began, "this young lady has something that needs your attention. She muttered something about getting home, but it made no sense whatsoever. I'm terribly sorry to bother you about this."  
  
"It's quite all right, Minerva. Now, what is it that you need?"  
  
There was a pause. Tabitha began to think, "iWhat do I need? Do I really want to leave? What will happen to me if I don't? No, I can't stay here. I don't belong here./I"  
  
"Well, um.. --iOh, no! I'm beginning to stutter again! Why did it have to be in front of Dumbledore!/i-- I need help. I need to get back home because I don't belong here. I belong on Earth, but not on this one. I mean," she paused. Dumbledore was sitting in his chair with his elbows resting on the arm rests and his hands were gently touching at the fingertips. His smile shown once again and although it looked tired and worn out, it still gave Tabitha a new boost of courage.  
  
"Go on," he said as if he read her emotions.  
  
"Oh yes, well," she slowed down and rethought her answer, "You probably won't believe me, but where I come from, there these books that are written about this world. Practically everyone knows about it. The books are sold throughout the entire world. They know all about the four houses, Harry's triumphs over his five years at Hogwarts, who he stays with, and Voldemort." Professor McGonagall gave an obvious wince. "I don't know how I got here. I just want to go home.." Tabitha was choking on her tears. "You have to believe me. This uni--verse--is dif--ferent from mine." She couldn't hold it in anymore. Hot streams of water were falling from her eyes rendering her ability to see.  
  
Dumbledore watched her for a while before saying in a solemn voice, "I believe you." Tabitha quickly looked up. She was happy to know that she didn't have to convince them, but she was surprised at how easily he trusted in her story. "I will try to do my best to help you, but first, I would like to know your name."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry for being so rude. It's.. um.. did it start with a 'B'? No it had a 'J' in it. Oh, no. I can't remember. I can't remember my name. Why can't I remember my name?"  
  
"No need to fret. Maybe the severe stress you're experiencing is causing you to act this way. Well, just move on to another subject." She nodded her head in agreement. "Where did you live? If I'm not mistaken, it should be a place that exists here too. Maybe it might have given off a strong magical wave. So we can probably start from there. After all, you live on this Earth, but not this Earth. Am I correct?" The twinkle in his eyes began to dance and in return made her feel better.  
  
"Well, I lived in..No. Near the ocean. I lived somewhere near the ocean I think." As she tried to recall the physical surroundings of her home town things began to get blurry. Every time she had a vivid picture in her head it would to disappear. Soon after, she could remember anything from her other life. "iI had a mom...maybe it was a dad. Did I have parents? Of course, I did. Where else would I get the clothes that I'm wearing? Unless, I came from an orphanage. Why can't I remember anything?!/i"  
  
She must have been quiet for a long time because Dumbledore had to pull her back to "reality" and asked her to continue on with her description of her home.  
  
"Uh, sir, Professor Dumbledore, I can't remember. I can't remember anything anymore. I don't even remember what I told you a couple of minutes ago. Nothing seems to stick. Every time I try to recall something, it doesn't seem to be true." Her hands were beginning to tremble from the sudden feeling of helplessness.  
  
"My dear, have you performed any spells on yourself? Maybe it's a slowly activating Memory Erase charm," Professor McGonagall said.  
  
"No, I don't even have a wand. Besides, wouldn't you know my name if I was your student?"  
  
"Yes, you're certainly correct, but you could've come from any of the other wizarding schools from around the world."  
  
"No, Minerva. I believe our young friend's story. However, I can not explain how she got here or why her memory was erased. It seems to me, that we can no longer find out any more information than we already have. She can sleep in the hospital wing for tonight while I make a couple of arangments. Please, show her the way."  
  
The girl was happy that Dumbledore ended the inquiry. Not only did she feel helpless but she also felt stupid.  
  
"Very well. Follow me," ordered Professor McGonagall. She had a stern look, but whenever she looked at the girl, her facial expressions would show pity and suspicion. She obeyed Dumbledore nonetheless and brought the girl to the hospital wing. The sun was already setting giving the room a warm glow, but the girl didn't notice it. She was too occupied with figuring out what happened to her.  
  
"You may sleep in any bed you choose, and you can use these for tonight." With a wave of her wand, Professor McGonagall procured a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. "Also, here something for you to eat." She waved her wand again, and on top of a table beside her, a ham and cheese sandwich appeared on a white dish with a glass of warm milk.  
  
"Thank you, Professor," said the girl.  
  
"No need to thank me. It's the least I can do."  
  
The girl sat beside the table and began to eat. Professor McGonagall slowly exited the room and hesitated before closing the door behind her. Showing a part of her that wanted to consol the girl, but after realizing she didn't know what to say to make the girl feel better, she closed the door.  
  
When the girl finished eating and brushing her teeth she laid on a bed facing a window and stared at the moon. "It looks to pretty," she thought, "..and so alone." Her vision became blurry again, and she wept. She buried her face into the pillow and cried herself to sleep.  
  
....To Be Continued....  
  
------------------------------  
  
Author's Note: I was hitting myself while I was typing out the scene where she explains to Dumbledore where she came from. I hope it didn't sound TOO corny. If you're still wondering when Draco or Voldemort come in..chill. We got lots of time for that. lol. Also, I'm looking for a beta (editor). I get so worked up when I finish a chapter I don't even proofread it. I feel so stupid when I see all the mistakes online. I bet you this chapter alone has more than 12 mistakes. 


	3. Home Sweet Home

Title: Let Me Bear It All  
  
Author: Mary D.  
  
Chapter Rating: PG  
  
Chapter Completion Date:07.30.03  
  
Disclaimer:All locations and characters from the book Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and various publishers such as Scholastic Books and Warner Bros. Inc. This project is non-profitable and there is no infringment intended.  
  
----------------------------------  
  
Her face was tingling and her eyes were irritated. The sun was shining through the window across her. "Stupid sun," she mumbled. She wanted to knock the sun out the sky for waking her up. She wanted to sleep. She wanted to sleep forever. It was the only place that seemed safe.  
  
Now that she was awake the feeling of insecurity and fear overwhelmed her, yet again. She curled up into a ball, hugged her pillow real tight, and cried. "Why?", she thought, "Why can't I remember anything? I can't even remember my name. Did anyone care about me? What was I good at? What am I bad at? WHO AM I?"  
  
Just then, Madam Pomfrey came in. "Ah!" Madam Pomfrey said in a too-happy- for-the-morning voice, "I'm glad you're awake. So sorry I wasn't here last night. I went on a long distance trip to restock on some special herbs, and you won't believe the people you meet..Well, anyway, I'm back. Wait here for me to get your breakfast. In the mean time, why don't you freshen up? Oh, forgive me I'm being rude. My name is.."  
  
"Madam Pomfrey," the girl said.  
  
Madam Pomfrey looked a little shock, but she composed herself and said, "Why, yes. Yes, it is. How did you know that? I was told by Dumbledore that you couldn't remember anything from your past."  
  
"I," she paused, "I don't know. It just came out of my mouth. All I know is that I don't belong here."  
  
"Well, all that matters is that you're getting better. We should mark that as an improvement. I've been here for too long. Let me get your breakfast." Madam Promfrey quickly walked out of the room to hide the look of suspicion on her face.  
  
"...but you're not part of my past. I don't even know you...," the girl said in a whisper. She bent her head. As she did this, her hair fell down to the sides of her face. She studied the curls at the end of her hair. They seemed so round. So untouched. They glimmered from the sun's light and seemed to look magical. "Why does my hair still look nice?" she asked herself, "Shouldn't it be tangled?"  
  
She thought about it, but realized how stinky her breath was. She brushed her teeth and washed her face. While drying her face with a face towel, she saw what she was wearing. It was a off white dress that had no sleeves. It was cut just a little below her knees. The dress had so many waves and it flowed like the ocean. "This is such a pretty dress," she commented, "I wonder if people wear things like this all the time in the place where I came from. It must be a really pretty place." She smiled at the thought of the entire place as a modern kingdom filled with kings, queens, ballrooms, parties, knights, princes, and princesses.  
  
"Here you go!" Madam Pomfrey laid the breakfast tray down where Professor McGonagall had put the sandwich last night.  
  
"Thank you," said the girl with a smile of gratitude. She watched Madam Pomfrey fix the girl's bed.  
  
"Well, what are you watching me for? Go on, and eat your breakfast." She gave the girl an exhasperated look and shook her head.  
  
"Oh! Sorry!" She ran towards the table and sat herself down. On the tray laid some biscuits, sausage links, two pancakes, and a glass of orange juice. "Madam Pomfrey--?"  
  
"Yes, what is it?" She had just fluff the pillow.  
  
"I don't think I can finish this."  
  
"You just let the house elves worry about that."  
  
"Oh--um--okay."  
  
Madam Pomfrey sighed. "They're elves that do house work and other chores."  
  
"Oh, I see. Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome. Just hurry up and finish your meal. It's awfully cold by now." The girl began to eat, while Madam Pomfrey went into her office. "Call me when you're done."  
  
When she was done, she called Madam Pomfrey as told. She was led, yet again, towards Dumbledore's office. They took a different route because the entire castle seemed to have changed overnight. The girl passed by paintings she didn't remember seeing last night. They finally arrived at Dumbledore's office. This time, Dumbledore was in his office signing or writing some documents.  
  
"Thank you, Poppy," said Dumbledore.  
  
"My pleasure, headmaster," Madam Pomfry replied and left them alone.  
  
"Have a seat," Dumbledore pointed towards one of the chairs in front of his desk. She obeyed without hesitation. "Now, I have taken the liberty in looking for someone to look after you. I realize I could have sent you towards an orphanage, but I believe there's something about you that needs special care. The Ministry has informed me that they can not help you at the time being. They're preoccupied by other matters, but as soon as they can clear their schedules, they will try to find a way to get you home. You'll forgive me if we take too long. Times like these are hard especially since Voldemort has regained all of his old allies. You have come at the worst possible time. It is because of this that I believe you are special. A beacon of hope, somewhat.  
  
"Now, the person who has agreed to look after you is Patricia Mehflua. She is a very decent witch who used to work for the Ministry. She retired two years ago, actually. No need to worry about the expenses. She has agreed to pay for everything you will need. I have already told her about your circumstances, and you will find her welcoming you with open arms.  
  
"During the remainder of the summer holiday, she will be teaching everything you will need to know to catch up." The girl's eyes widen. "Yes, you will be attending school here. However, I will not put you into a year you can not keep up with. Therefore, the various professors here will be giving you a standard test for each of their subjects a week before the new term starts. You must study hard before then. I understand that underage wizards can not use magic out of school, and that is why I'm asking for special permission from the Minister himself. To my understanding, all I have to do is write up a document and he'll sign. Actually, he'll sign anything nowadays just as long as he doesn't have to do too much work." Dumbledore smiled before continuing. " I'm almost finish with it. I was working on it just before you came in. I believe you can do it. The reason why I believed in your story was because I saw great potential in you, and if you lived in "this world" I would've sought you out to be a student here, anyway." He paused to let his last statement sink in. "Well, I think I covered everything I wanted to cover--except for your name. Would you like to give yourself a new name? or would you like someone else to name you?"  
  
"Could you name me, sir?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "I'm flattered you want me to do it, but I really hope you'd reconsider. I'm not very good at giving names. To be honest, the first name that popped into my head was Baruca." His smile widen.  
  
The girl laughed and said, "You've made your point. I guess I'll let that lady--"  
  
"Patricia Mehflua," Dumbledore interrupted.  
  
"Oh, right. I'll let Mrs. Mehflua pick my name."  
  
"Actually, it's Miss Mehflua. She never married. She's 71 years old, but, as I have mentioned before, she only retired from the Ministry two years ago. She was very dedicated to her work. Now, it seems, she has realized how lonely life can be without someone around."  
  
"What did she do in the Ministry?"  
  
"We'll leave that story for her to tell, shall we?"  
  
"Oh--um--okay."  
  
"Now that we've settled everything, would you like me to call someone up to lead you to the Hospital Wing? You might want to see if you've left anything behind. Ms. Mehflua will be picking you up this afternoon around 2 or 3."  
  
"Oh, no need to bother anyone. I can try to find my way there."  
  
"If that's what you prefer." They both stood up, and she left. Dumbledore went to the window where a barn owl was waiting. He tied the letter around it's leg and it flew off.  
  
*************  
  
The girl was now in the main hallway. She looked around her to see if anything changed, but it didn't so she decided to try and retrace her steps. It was easier to take the route Madam Pomfrey took because the sun was shining and made everything clear.  
  
Although she had just went through those hallways not too long ago, she couldn't find her way back. Not completely, anyway. Sometimes she would see a familiar statue or painting, but most of the time everything seemed new. One of the portraits finally spoke to her. She was surprised at first, but eventually got used to it.  
  
"What, pray tell, is the matter fair maiden?" the portrait of a royal male figure asked.  
  
"Oh I've seem to have forgotten the way back to the hospital wing. Can you help me?"  
  
"I'd love to aid a maiden in distress, but I only have one leg." He raised the wooden leg up as high as he could to show her. "Perhaps, one of the other paintings can assist you."  
  
"Thank you, sir." She went to another portrait. This one was of a woman in a toga, who was standing and reading a book.  
  
"Excuse me, ma'am."  
  
"Yes, what is it? Can't you see I'm reading?"  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bother you. I'll leave you alone then." So the girl went to look for another portrait that would help her. She was walking when she heard someone.  
  
"Psst."  
  
She turned her head.  
  
"Yeh. Yeh you with the dress."  
  
There in the corner was a portrait of a pirate. A very typical looking pirate. He had the one-eye patch and the parrot on the shoulder. However, he had both arms, hands, legs, and feet.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I herd yeh lookin' fer ye hospidal wing," said the pirate.  
  
"Yes, sir. Can you help me?"  
  
"O'course. I can! I'm Captain McClooney. King o' the seven seas! Me men call me Merciless Zeke." The girl looked a little frightened. "Don' be worryin' about me. I never hurt a lady, specially if she's a perdy one. Jes' foller me."  
  
He disappeared from his frame, and the girl thought he just felt her there as a joke. Then, she heard him from another portrait. "Psst. Over her'!" The lady in the portrait he was occupying was getting irritated. She looked very sophisticated and high-class with her beautiful long dress and perfect hair. She was sitting on a stool with her back straight. She kept giving the pirate an agitated look. "Ah, ther' be a good lass. Jess foller the sound of me voice. Har! Har! This be the most fun I've had since me younger years..."  
  
The sound was dying off so the girl ran after the voice. The pirate kept signing and telling these short stories. Then, they finally made it to the hospital wing. Judging by the amount exhaustion she had, the girl assumed she had been wandering around the castle for more than an hour.  
  
"This be the place ye ought ought ter be, Yay or Nay?"  
  
"Aye, aye, Captain."  
  
"Arrgh. O'course this be the place! Am I not Merciless Zeke, King of the Seven Seas? Har, har!"  
  
The girl laughed. "Aye, aye, Captain, and thank you."  
  
She walked in, and found Madam Pomfrey reading a magazine report. The cover read, "People get stuck while crossing their eyes! Quick easy ways to fix it yourself!" Madam Pomfrey put the report down and said, "Oh, hello, dear. So are you excited about you new home?"  
  
"Hogwarts, my new home? Oh, wait she's talking about that flu lady", the girl thought. "Yes, I'm very excited. I also am excited about coming to this school this term."  
  
"Yes, I was told about that."  
  
"Madam Pomfrey?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What year do I look like I belong in?" The girl asked this because she didn't know how old she was so maybe someone else can guess for her.  
  
"You look like you can be in the seventh year."  
  
"..and what year will Harry be in this term?"  
  
"His seventh, but why are you asking me this?"  
  
"Oh, I'm just curious, is all."  
  
"Well you still have a couple of minutes before 2 o'clock. Would you like something to eat?"  
  
All of a sudden a rumble came out of her stomach. Apparently, Madam Pomfrey heard it, too. She chuckled. "Yes, please," the girl said while putting her hand on her stomach.  
  
"Wait a sec, while I go and get it."  
  
After Madam Pomfrey left, the girl looked around the room. Dumbledore said to get anything she might have left behind. She looked around the room and only saw beds and curtains. Sure there was the toothbrush and toothpaste that Professor McGonagall gave her, but that was it. "So basically, the only thing I really own is this outfit", she thought, "Nothing here belongs to me." She sat down on the edge of "her" bed, and waited for Madam Pomfrey to come back.  
  
When Madam Pomfrey came in she wasn't holding a tray. Actually, she wasn't holding anything at all, but she looked like she was in a hurry.  
  
"Hurry, dearest, you need to get to Dumbledore's office. Ms. Mehflua is here to pick you up already," said Madam Pomfrey.  
  
"She's here? Now?"  
  
"Yes, come along now. We don't have all day!"  
  
So they practically ran upstairs. Throughout the entire jog the girl thought to herself, "What if she doesn't like me? Will she reject me? Where will I stay after that? Will she hate my boots?" She didn't have time to reassure herself because they were in Dumbledore's office once again, and sitting in one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk was a lady wearing a bun held up by two chopsticks.  
  
"..and here they are," Dumbledore began, "Ladies, this is Patricia Mehflua."  
  
The lady stood up. This is it, the girl thought, "this is when I'll finally get to see my new "mother", but--will she accept me?---"  
  
....To Be Continued....  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Author's Note: hah-ha! Another cliffhanger! Well, my updates are regular so there's so need to fret. Moving on, the pirate in the portait was inspired (somewhat) by the Pirates of the Carribean. I haven't seen the movie, but a lot of girls like it. So.. I just put it in.  
  
Then, the part where "the girl" looks around room and sees nothing's hers was taken from a movie. I don't remember it's name, but it had Patrick Swayze and Goldie Haun. She gets amnesia and he picks her up and makes her believe he's her wife and mother of three boys. When her real husband picks her up, she tells her to get her things, but when she goes into the house, she realizes nothing's hers. I hope you know what movie I'm talking about. It's really nice.  
  
I didn't proofread this chapter AT ALL. I'm still look for a beta. IM me on aim. my aim is "purchaseddestiny". I just like the idea that I'm done writing a chapter, and thank you to those who have given me reviews. It really means a lot to me. I squealed when I read my first few reviews. (lol) 


	4. Say Hello

Completion Date: 073103  
  
Chapter Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: All locations and characters from the book Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and various publishers such as Scholastic Books and Warner Bros. Inc. This project is non-profitable and there is no infringment intended.  
  
Let Me Bear It All  
(Chapter 4)  
  
The woman stood up and turned around. The girl was surprised. Ms. Mehflua didn't look anywhere near 71. The bun seemed to show some form of sophistication, but everything else was far from it. Her cloak was a crimson red with white polka dots, and her cats-eye glasses were black making her eyes look pointier on the ends. She had few wrinkles and barely visible sun spots. In fact, her hair was still grey. She didn't seem to have any white hairs.  
  
She greeted them with a smile, "Why hello there." She strutted towards the doors where Madam Pomfrey and the girl were standing. She shook both of their hands. "Finally I get to meet the mystery girl!"  
  
The girl stood there as if she was hypnotized. She didn't understand what was going on. The lady was too cheerful and energetic to be old. "It must be a spell", she thought. Ms. Mehflua was standing in front of the girl and examining every bit of her.  
  
"Patricia," said Dumbledore, "our 'mystery girl' has requested that you be the one to name her."  
  
"Oh, really?! Oh, I'd love to!" She went closer to the girl and said, "You know me, I haven't had any kids so this will be the first time. Goodness! You'll be like my daughter! I wouldn't mind." A look of relief came over the girl. "..and look at her taste in clothes! Absolutely brilliant!"  
  
"ahem," Dumbledore interrupted, "Patricia..."  
  
"Oh, right, right." She examined the girl once more. "Well, she looks like...a 'Fay'"  
  
"Fay?" the girl thought "Fay doesn't sound so bad."  
  
"Well, what do you think?" Ms. Mehflua asked the girl.  
  
"It's nice," replied Fay.  
  
"Then, it's settled! You shall now be called Fay Mehflua! Oh, I almost forgot. Old age does this to you sometimes. Fay, if your score is that of a first year level, you will be sorted with the rest of the first years at the beginning of this term." Her jaw dropped. "BUT I have no reason to believe that will happen. I know you can do it." His smile, once again, gave Fay a new hope, and she smiled back.  
  
"Thank you for everything," said Fay.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
She looked at Madam Pomfrey and said, "Thank you, too, Madam Pomfrey."  
  
Madam Pomfrey bowed her head in acknowledgment.  
  
Fay and Ms. Mehflua were about to head out the door when Dumbledore said, "Let me show you two out."  
  
"Oh really Dumbledore," said Ms. Mehflua, "I know very well how to navigate my way through this castle already. You needn't bother with helping me."  
  
"Actually, Patricia, I insist."  
  
Ms. Mehflua smiled. "Oh, all right."  
  
"Actually, I don't have anything to do so I think I'll come along as well," Madam Pomfrey added.  
  
"Well if that's what you prefer." Ms. Mehflua was starting to wonder. Did this girl really that much of an effect on them? She was only there for a day..  
  
Once they were at the door, Fay couldn't help it anymore. She hugged Dumbledore with all her strength and did the same for Madam Pomfrey. They were both dumbstruck but enjoyed the hugs nonetheless.  
  
"Please tell Professor McGonagall thank you for me!" she shouted as she waved goodbye. The two bowed the head and waved back. Fay could have sworn the saw a tear fall down Madam Pomfrey's cheek.  
  
Ms. Mehflua and Fay walked down the street in Hogsmeade towards the train station. "Ms. Mehflua..?"  
  
"Oh, please, don't call me that. If we're going to live together, it'll be hard for you to keep saying 'Ms. Mehflua'. Call me Trish, Aunt Trish or Auntie Trish."  
  
"Er..okay Auntie Trish?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"We're going to use the train to go to London to buy you some new things."  
  
"But..uh.."  
  
"Didn't Dumbledore tell you? I don't mind, really. Besides, after working for the Ministry for so long you tend to collect a great amount of money, and I don't have any other relatives. None that exist to my knowledge anyway."  
  
"Oh, okay." Fay smiled. She couldn't wait to go shopping. Finally she would that things that would belong to her. "OH! I forgot my toothbrush and toothpaste!"  
  
"It's okay. We'll get you new ones. Honestly, it's just a toothbrush. You make it sound like it's a sack of Galleons."  
  
"Galleons?"  
  
"Money, dear. Money. One Galleon equals to seventeen silver Sickles, and twenty nine Knuts equal to one Sickle. They're only three kinds of coins in this world. That was simple enough to understand, wasn't it?"  
  
"Um.." Fay was trying to divide 2 by 17 when Aunt Trish asked.  
  
Aunt Trish chuckled. "You'll get the hang of it once you start to using it."  
  
Before Fay knew it, they had already bought the tickets, rode on the train, and arrived in London. The street was loaded with Muggles of all sorts, and seeing how Fay and Aunt Trish were dressed they stared at the pair.  
  
"Here we are!" Aunt Trish exclaimed.  
  
Fay was busy looking at a candy store down the street, but when she heard Aunt Trish's voice she noticed that there was a store right in front of her. She read the sign aloud. "The Leaky Cauldron..."  
  
They entered the bar and found a bunch of ragged looking people wearing cloaks. Some of them were smoking pipes. Others were keeping to themselves, while they drank. A few were talking quietly to each other, but not one paid attention to them.  
  
"So what'll it be ma'am?" the bartender asked.  
  
"Nothing for us, thanks. We're just passing through," replied Aunt Trish. They walked through the bar out into a small sort of alley. There were a couple of trash can bins and some weeds.  
  
"Where are we going again, Aunt Trish?"  
  
"Watch this, first."  
  
Aunt Trish was tapping bricks with her wand. "Weird," Fay thought, "what is she trying to do? Turn the wall into a carriage?" Just then, the bricks started to moved and formed an arched doorway.  
  
"Ta-da! This is Diagon Alley!"  
  
They stepped through and this warmth covered Fay's body from head to foot. It was a warmth and a chill. Warmth because she felt so happy, and a chill because she was getting goosebumps from the sheer beauty of the place. In a silent voice she managed to say, "Wow..." Children were running around with ice cream the just bought at the ice cream shop. Their mothers were chasing and scolding them at the same time. A woman, who was extremely short was using her wand to carry a cauldron that was larger than her. Two teenage boys were standing in front of a store that said "Quality Quidditch Supplies" talking excitedly about something.  
  
Fay couldn't understand what they were talking about because they were so fast, but she did hear a couple of words like, "hoops", "brooms", "canons". She didn't know how those words would relate, but as soon as she passed them, she didn't here them talking at all. In fact, she could've sworn they were watching her...  
  
"Why don't we go here first?" Aunt Trish pointed at the Apothecary. They went inside and Fay thought she was going to faint from the smell. It was so terrible that she had to wait outside, while Aunt Trish went to get the herbs and spices they were going to use for the potions lessons.  
  
"Would you like to get new robes? Now or later? After all, the outfit you're wear is absolutely fantastic." She smiled at Fay to show that she wasn't being sarcastic at all, but people kept staring at her in a funny way. It was making her really uncomfortable.  
  
"Could we, please get new robes?"  
  
"Of course. Why do you sound so scared?"  
  
"I suppose, I just don't want to upset you."  
  
Aunt Trish blinked in astonishment. "My dear! You are so shy and soft- spoken! You don't have to be ashamed of anything when you're with me. The only thing I expect from you is confidence, and it'll be one of my greatest accomplishments if I can make you as happy and confident as I am right now." Fay gave her a weak smile. "There. Doesn't smiling make you feel a little bit better?"  
  
"A little."  
  
"Good. Let's go to Madam Malkin's."  
  
Fay didn't understand this. "Didn't Dumbledore say Aunt Trish was lonely and somewhat sad after retiring?" she wondered, "Could is be that I am the one whose making her so happy? No, that can't be. What have I been doing that's charming enough to change her mood?"  
  
"Go on dear."  
  
"Wha..?"  
  
They were standing inside Madam Malkin's Dress Robe for All Occasions.  
  
"Pick anything you like. I suppose seven or eight will do the job."  
  
"Eight?"  
  
"Eight robes to wear. You gotta have something to wear in the house, don't you?"  
  
"But isn't eight a bit too much?"  
  
"Nonsense! Now, pick. Go on. We'll get your school robes when the term starts so you'll be getting them along with the others."  
  
So an hour and a half passed before Fay finally settled on eight robes. She was a little picky. It was also a little hard for her to pick because Aunt Trish kept making suggestions. (How about this one with the Dragon print?) As Aunt Trish paid Madam Malkin, another witch, who was tall, slender, blonde, and had a crooked nose, came in. Her robe was so extravagant is didn't even look like a robe. It looked more like slip-on dress with a tutu around the hips with shiny marbles spiraling around the tips.  
  
"MALKIN, dear! Something dreadful has happened! I was walking through the streets when this wretched woman tripped on my robe! Look what happened to my dress!," exclaimed the woman. Madam Malkin rushed toward to woman. She raised the bottom of her robe to show were it had torn. "I could've fixed it with a charm, of course, but I just KNEW it wouldn't be the same."  
  
Fay and Aunt Trish exited out of the store while Madam Malkin fussed over the woman.  
  
"She must be rich, huh?" Fay looked towards Aunt Trish.  
  
"Naturally. Who else would make a big fuss about an ugly robe as hers?"  
  
They both laughed, while someone with a pale face and blonde hair from afar noticed them.  
  
They got some books from Flourish and Blotts. Aunt Trish even bought a new broom for Fay. It was the Nimbus Two Thousand.  
  
"Are you sure you want to buy this for me?!?!"  
  
"Listen, Fay. This is what I WANT to do. I only wish I could've gotten something more recent, but I really should keep and eye on my spending." Aunt Trish looked at the new bag she bought. She put a spell on it so it could hold more things than it normally would. Then she continued, "This is my birthday present to you. Besides, yesterday was your birthday! Well, not really, but we'll consider it as your birthday, the day you came into this world."  
  
Fay giggled. "Okay."  
  
"That's the sound I'd like to hear more often! Your laugh has such a sweet sound to it. I hope to hear more of it during our time together, okay?"  
  
"I promise," Fay said with a smile. She couldn't believe it. She was getting everything she wanted and all she had to do was laugh and smile. She was loving every bit of her new life.  
  
The most interesting store that they went into was Ollivanders. They walked with Aunt Trish holding a new bag and Fay holding her new broom.  
  
"Hello, a new customer?" inquired an old man with huge misty eyes.  
  
"Yes, this lovely lady right new needs a wand," replied Aunt Trish with her usual confident tone.  
  
"I see, we don't usually get customers..uh..like yourself." Fay knew he was talking about people her age. "Well, it's never too late to get a wand. Tell me, which is your wand arm?"  
  
"Uh..well." Fay didn't know what to say. She didn't even know if she was left or right-handed. No one ever told her to write anything, yet.  
  
"Uh..it's her right," Aunt Trish interrupted. Fay gave her a look of uncertainty, but Aunt Trish waved her hand to show her it was all right.  
  
"Ah, I see. Well, hold out your arm," he said. He began to look through boxes as Fay was being measured in the strangest areas by a magical measuring tape that moved on it's own. "That's good enough," the tape stopped moving and he said, "Let's see. Try this. Mahogany. Nine-and-half inches. Dragon heartstrings. Quite flexible." He handed the wand to Fay. She took it, but nothing happened. "Not it, eh?" He looked through some more boxes and presented her with "Yew. 10-and-a-quarter inches. Unicorn hair. Nice and springy."  
  
She took the wand again, and just as she had a firm grip on it, a mist came out of it like steam from a hot kettle. However, the mist wasn't hot like steam. It was more cool and in the mist there were little specks of glittering balls. It almost reminded her of stars.  
  
Aunt Trish began clapping with a huge, bright smile. Fay laughed. It was so weird. All she did was hold a piece of wood and people were proud of her. Even Mr. Ollivander was congradulating her. They exchanged their thank you's and goodbye's and were off.  
  
They were still walking around Diagon Alley. Fay didn't understand why. They already had all the things they needed. "Aunt Trish, where are we heading to next?"  
  
"Home, of course. We're just going to look for the nearest fire place."  
  
When they reached an area where a fire place was located Aunt Trish took out a tiny pot out of her bag that was filled with green powder.  
  
"Just bought some Flow Powder. I just realized that I forgot to bring some with me. It was very silly of me. How else are we going to get home? Do you remember what Floo Powder is?  
  
"Well, I..uh..mm..Sorry, no."  
  
"Okay, well you just throw it into the fire place and call out where you want to go. Make sure you say it clearly or else you might end up somewhere else. We'll watch a couple of people go at it before you try."  
  
They watched, and each time they watched someone else get engulfed by the green flames, Fay got more and more nervous.  
  
"Don't worry, sweetie. You'll do fine. Now the name you want to call out is The Aery."  
  
"O..o.okay." Fay took some Flow Power and threw it in just like the others and called out, "The Aery!" The was covered with the green flames and was pulled up. After all the spinning and twirling, she ended up in another fire place. She got out and looked around. Aunt Trish wasn't too far behind her because she soon came out of the fire place as well.  
  
She dusted herself off. "Well, Fay, say hello to your new home." Fay saw the rocking chair near the corner, the love seat in front of the fire place, the little coffee table in the center of the room, the piano against the wall, and the various vases filled with flowers.  
  
Fay smiled and said, "Hello, home." She laughed at her unoriginality and took a sat down on a chair inside her new home.  
  
....To Be Continued....  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
A/N: This chapter actually took more research than usual. I had to constantly check the first book to remember how Diagon Alley was like. (I don't mind re-reading the chapters again..really)  
  
I made sure that the character's names were derived from Latin. I have no idea why I did this. I guess I wanted it to have some kind of special meaning. The Aery also has a special meaning behind it, too, but I don't know if it's Latin.  
  
I also took out those HTML tags. I don't get it. I thought fanfiction.net was going to allow those tags, but I guess not. It looks stupid everytime I look at my chapters and see all those tags. That's why in this one I used capital letters everytime I wanted to put emphasis on a word. I do believe this chapter was the most diffucult to type out. It all seemed pretty boring to me. 


	5. Blue Moon

Chapter Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Completion Date: 080103  
  
Let Me Bear It All  
(Chapter 5)  
  
--------------------------  
  
Fay sank into the love seat. It was the first time she sat down that long since she left Dumbledore's office in the morning. "This morning?", she questioned herself, "That felt like that was so long ago. Why is that surprising? I only came here just yesterday, and so many things have happened since then..I can't belive I've only been here for just ONE day.." She looked at the living once again. That's when she noticed a shelf next to the piano. It was completely filled with books. When Fay went to take a closer look, she noticed that most (if not all) of them were books about teaching. She saw titles such as "Classroom Discipline: Keeping the Mighty Lion Tamed", "Teaching Made Easy!", and "Tips & Tricks for Grading Papers".  
  
"Fay!" called Aunt Trish from the kitchen.  
  
"Yes, I'm coming!" Fay shouted.  
  
The kitchen and living room were separated by a hallway. At one end there was a staircase that led to the 2nd floor (Fay had no idea what was up there, yet.) and on the other end there was the front door. She walked into the kitchen. It was small and bare. Everything was in a cupboard or cabinet somewhere because the only that was on the counters or table was bowl of fruit.  
  
The walls, oh the other hand were far from bare. They were were painted with grape vines and a huge apple tree was painted in the corner. Some of the leaves and apples were painted on the ceiling as well so if you were to look up you'd feel as if you were actually standing underneath an actual apple tree. The painting of the tree was very convincing since the leaves and branches actually swayed at times as if there was a gentle breeze blowing them.  
  
In the middle of the room there was a circular dining table with two place mats and two chairs. The bowl of fruit was centered at the middle on top of an olive green table cloth that partially covered the table. The corners hung on the side making the table look larger than it really was.  
  
"You didn't have to come here, but since you are-- I'm making smoked sausage, mash potatoes, and biscuits. Are those okay with you?"  
  
"Yes, of course.Would you like me to help you with anything?"  
  
"No, I can do this. You can do whatever you like until dinner is ready. Maybe you'd like to unpack. Your room is the second door to the left. Oh, and the bag is in the hallway table near the front door. Just leave the books, tools, and herbs in there."  
  
"Oh okay." Before Fay left the kitchen, Aunt Trish waved her wand and things began to move on their own. Pans and pots were banging, dishes were clanging, and Aunt Trish was reading a cooking book. She went towards exited out of the kitchen and a little bit off to her right stood the table near the front door. She looked inside to bag to take out the robes, but there were so many things inside that she decided to bring everything to her room. She'd put the bag back when she was done.  
  
She was about to head upstairs when she saw her broom propped up against the love seat. She quickly grabbed it and headed upstairs. The stairs curved towards the left, and at the top Fay found herself facing another hall. It was definitely smaller than the one downstairs with two doors on each side.  
  
Fay forgot what Aunt Trish said. "Did she say second door to the left or right?" She shrugged and headed for the second door to the right. When she opened it, it was just a closet. "Um..does she want me to sleep in a closet?" She shook her head in denial and opened the second door on the left. There she found a fluffy looking bed next to the window, a closet facing the window, a study table, and an oval area rug in the center of the room. It was a bit small, but at least it was better than the closet.  
  
She leaned the Nimbus Two Thousand against the wall and opened the bag. She had to take out the cauldron so she could see things better. After she removed it, she found out that everything else was very easy to find. She put everything away except her wand. "Where do I put this? Do I just hold onto it? No Aunt Trish put hers in her pocket, but I don't have any pockets right now. What if I change? Yeah. My new robes have pockets, but why do I need to carry my wand? Dumbledore didn't tell me if the Ministry approved of this document..uh thing, yet. What do you call it? It's not a bill or a law..Nevermind. I guess it's not important." She held her wand for a few moments longer. She enthusiastically whispered, "Wow. I can't believe I have wand!" Then, she head towards the study table and placed the wand in one of the drawers.  
  
She picked up the bag and was about to go down stairs when she caught a glimpse of her Nimbus Two Thousand in the corner. She smiled. She couldn't wait to try it out. Now that she had a broom, she wondered what flying would be like, and it was a very painful torture for her to only look at the broom. "What's the point in having one if I don't use it? Oh well, I'm sure Aunt Trish will give me lessons. Wait! She's 71! She can't possibly give me lessons!! Will I have to learn it all on my own?" With this on her mind, she put the bag back on the table near the front door, and went into the kitchen.  
  
"Right on time!" exclaimed Aunt Trish, "I'm just waiting for the biscuits to cool, and then we can eat. Why don't you have a seat, and we'll talk until then."  
  
They sat down. The table was so small that if Fay were to just reach out far enough, she could touch Aunt Trish's face.  
  
"So how did you like the room? I'm sorry it's so plain."  
  
"It's fine. In fact, I like it. I can't find anything wrong with it."  
  
"That's nice."  
  
The silence that followed that sentence was really nerve racking for Fay. So she decided to break it with, "So..um..I saw your books in the living room."  
  
Fay was getting mad at herself inside her head. "That's such a stupid thing to say! Did it even makes sense?!? You might as well have said, 'oh i saw your floor in the living room. yeah. it was pretty hard.' Think of something better next time!"  
  
"Oh you did? Yes, I guess you've already figured out that I've had a secret passion for teaching, but I've always liked what I did in the Ministry."  
  
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what did you do in the Ministry?" Fay remembered how Dumbledore thought that Aunt Trish should be the one to tell "the story".  
  
A smirk appeared on Aunt Trish's lips, and Fay noticed the wrinkles at the ends of Aunt Trish's eyes. "She must have gotten those wrinkled from smiling so much," thought Fay.  
  
"Okay..well you do you remember was Quidditch is?"  
  
Fay thought about it for a while before saying, "Three types of balls and three hoops? Six players?"  
  
"Yes, exactly. Okay, well I work for the Department of Magical Games and Sports. I make sure all equipment that the national quidditch teams are good to use. As in, I test things out and make sure that there's no malfunctions. At first, I tested all the equipment, brooms, snitches, bulgers, bats, quaffles, and safety pads, but then the Ministry decided I should limit it down because of my age.  
  
"I refused. I like hitting a speeding bulger and racing on a broom at top speed. They're one of the best feelings in the world. They accepted this for a while, but after I fell of a broom they forced to me to just inspect the safety pads, quaffles, and snitches. I was upset at first, but then I found new ways to do things. I'd wear all the safety pads and run into walls and such." They both laughed. "Sometimes when I inspect a snitch I purposely take a broom and fly after it, but they caught on to me and made a little room so if i did let the snitch go for a long time, it couldn't go far.  
  
"Of course, there was a lot of paperwork, but since it was about quidditch supplies it didn't really bother me. It just kept me from being at home and having a social life." Fay started to look sad. "Oh, no, don't feel sorry for me. I had lot of friends at the Ministry, but I just never went out to parties or dates because I had to turn in my reports. Reports that I started on around 7 o'clock at night. Seems silly to worry about quidditch supplies so much, but I really liked it. Hmmm..Well, that's basically it. Oh, dear, I was rammbling. I hope I wasn't a bore."  
  
"No, no! I liked the story very much, but I was wondering....if you could give me flying lessons as well."  
  
"Well, of course, I'll teach you! I wouldn't buy you a broom and expect you to learn how to fly it all on your own. Don't be so silly."  
  
"Oh..I was just curious because of your..um.."  
  
"..Age?"  
  
Fay nodded her head.  
  
"I've had enough of that from the Ministry. It's mostly the reason why I quit. They kept trying to control me. I didn't like it. Also, I'm glad I left when I did. There were so many conspiracies going on, and I didn't want to be part of it," Aunt Trish sighed.  
  
Fay stared down at the apple in the fruit bowl. She didn't know that to say.  
  
Aunt Trish was the first to say something, "Listen here. I may be giving you flying lessons, but that doesn't mean we're not going to work very hard on your other lessons. Right?"  
  
"Right. I swear, I'll try my best."  
  
"That a girl. I do believe the biscuits are beyond cool by now. Maybe we should try this out the old fashion way. I'll get the food and you set up the dishes. You'll find them in the cupboard." So they put everything on the table, ate (and had a contest to see who could balance their spoon on their nose longer), and got ready for bed.  
  
Fay shook the blanket just in case there was any dust left, and laid down in her bed. She looked out her window, and she once again saw the moon. This time all she could see was it's beauty ("I wonder if I can touch it if I fly high enough", she thought.), and she fell asleep with a smile.  
  
***********  
  
Aunt Trish took off her glasses, and put them on the table beside her bed. She laid down in her bed, and shifted around a bit to snuggle in. She slept in a Queen sized bed. She didn't even know what drove her to buy it. After all, she wasn't fat. How could she occupy a bed of that size all to herself? She sighed. A couple stars that she painted on her ceiling were moving. "Two shooting stars for tonight," she said aloud and turned to her side.  
  
She took another pillow and hugged it. She was getting warm from all the soft things that were around her. Her eyelids were getting heavy. The warmth was so soothing. She took one quick look outside of her window and saw the moon. "It must be very cold up there," she thought, and closed her eyes.  
  
***********  
  
Meanwhile, in a manor not too far away from The Aery, there lay a boy with a pale face and silver eyes who could not sleep. Draco Malfoy stared at his ceiling. The shadows from the trees outside his huge windows were dancing. "Who was that girl?" he wondered, "She must've been someone from a foreign country. I would've noticed her if she went to Hogwarts. Too bad, I didn't get to talk to her. I bet I could've shagged her tonight. What was it about her?"  
  
He began to replay the day at Diagon Alley. He was standing across the street from Madam Malkin's shop, waiting for this Aunt to come out. She wanted to buy a new robe. "I still don't understand why the bloody hell she cares so much about that stupid thing. It's almost as bad as Hagrid's Blast- Ended Skrewts. Almost." Then, she came out of the store. Laughing with her grandmother. Her smile was just so radiant. Her hair seemed so soft and silky, and the curls seemed to bounce while..  
  
"Ugh!" He threw off his blanket and head toward one of his windows. The moon was shining brightly. Pansy hated the moon. It reminded her too much of Professor Trelawney. "The woman's absurd!" she would say, "No one believes in her. That's why I've decided to take Arithmancy with you, Draco!"  
  
It's was always like that. Everyone seemed so empty. They snickered at his insults towards the Gryffindors. They followed him where ever he went. They also agreed with everything he said, which was good. He was doing what he was raised to do. Gain power. It was all that mattered. He was a Malfoy, strong, powerful, pure-blooded, and rich.  
  
He was so consumed with what he was expected of that he completely forgot what he was thinking about before he got out of bed. No matter, he went back and fell asleep.  
  
....To Be Continued....  
  
----------------------------  
  
A/N: I know that it doesn't have any significance, but when Fay looks at the apple I was thinking about my best friend, Natali. She has a thing for apples. So um.. I dedicated that scene to her? (lol) Not much of a scene.  
  
Also, the bag ( I know I should've mentioned this before ) was from Mary Poppins. When I first watched that movie was so amazed with her. I thought it was cooler because she had my name..I laughed at the part where she measures herself and says, "Five feet two..Mary Poppins, perfect in every way.." lol I made up the number, but you get what I mean.  
  
Now you may be wondering, "Why couldn't Fay put the broom into the bag instead of carry it around?" That's how much she liked her broom. She liked it more than her wand, which she put in the bag. She wanted to hold it as much as she could. (Please no nasty, perverted thoughts about her wand and broom. Thank you.)  
  
Oh and thank you for the "mucho"s reviews! I swear, it's so flattering! 


	6. Let the Race Begin

Chapter Rating: PG  
  
Completion Date:080303  
  
----------------------------  
  
Clang! Bang! "Hmmphh.." Fay mumbled as she opened her eyes. The sun was barely up, but there was a lot of noise downstairs. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She got out of bed and headed towards the kitchen. She was yawning when she entered the kitchen, "G--mOARn--nig Aunttrishh.."  
  
Aunt Trish quickly turned around with a startled look and grabbed onto the counter. "Oh did I wake you up? I'm terribly sorry!"  
  
"No, it's," Fay yawned, "Okay.Is something wrong?"  
  
"To be honest, I can't find any syrup! I was so sure I bought some a couple of days ago."  
  
"Syrup for what?" Fay's eyes where closed as she spoke.  
  
"For the waffles, of course. They're right there on the table."  
  
Fay didn't notice them when she entered the room, but now that Aunt Trish had pointed at them, she didn't know how she COULD NOT see them. The waffles where stacked up on top of one another, and Fay swore that the tower of waffles was AT LEAST two feet high. She blinked again to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her.  
  
"Um, Aunt Trish, what time is it?"  
  
Aunt Trish was looking into the bottom cabinets. She paused and looked at her wristwatch. "6:20. Why?"  
  
"...And what time did you begin making waffles?"  
  
She took her head out of the cabinet and said, "Probably around 4:30...using the Muggle method...from scratch (by scratch she meant mixing water with the batter and pouring it into the waffle maker, which took about an hour to figure out.)...." Her eyes moved towards the cabinet again.  
  
"Aunt Trish, is there something bothering you?"  
  
She stood up. "No, no, of course there's nothing wrong with me. Why would there be?" She laughed a kind of nervous laugh and she kept twisting her apron.  
  
"Aunt Trish," Fay's eyebrows rose.  
  
"Oh, okay. I'm nervous." With a defeated look, Aunt Trish took a chair and sat down.  
  
Fay smiled. "You? Nervous? Impossible." She laughed, and Aunt Trish began to smile. "Why would you be nervous?"  
  
"Well, I know I have all those books, but I've never actually TAUGHT. You'll be my first student." She was still twisting her apron underneath the table.  
  
Fay walked next to Aunt Trish's chair and squatted next to her. She put her hand on top of Aunt Trish's shaky, calloused, and wrinkled hand, and looked up. Aunt Trish looked at Fay directly into her brown eyes. Fay smiled back and said, "You'll be a great teacher. Besides, I'm the only student you're going to have, right? I promise I won't pass nasty notes about you in class."  
  
Aunt Trish looked scared again.  
  
"I was kidding! Who am I going to pass the notes to?"  
  
"Heh, heh. Right... Right you are."  
  
"You need to relax. I'm sure your first lesson will be very good." Fay stood up and gently touched Aunt Trish's upper back. That's when she felt some thing pass through her fingers. It slowly pervaded the rest of her body. It was like an electric wave that was altering everything inside of her to suit their needs. All of a sudden, she felt awake and nervous at the same time. A big cloud of some future doom seemed to be above her, so she thought.  
  
Aunt Trish, however, straighten up in her chair and said, "You know what? You're right. I shouldn't worry about anything, right?" She turned around to look at Fay. "Fay, is something wrong?"  
  
Fay's eyes were wider and she was breathing deeply.  
  
"What? Oh, yes. I'm fine. So I guess we're just going to have to eat these waffles just as the are, huh?" She spoke with a smile and Aunt Trish didn't suspect anything. In fact, she laughed at the little joke.  
  
"I suppose we will. Oh wait! I have jam! Maybe we can make sandwiches out of them!"  
  
"It sounds delicious already."  
  
Aunt Trish started looking at the upper cabinets this time, and Fay sat down at the table. "What was that?" she thought. "It was so sudden, and I feel so terrible now. I'm restless yet tired, and I'm scared but excited. Could this be what Aunt Trish was feeling??? Did I transfer all of her negative emotions into me? Well, she is looking a lot better. She's back to her happy and (almost) carefree self. What am I going on about? How can that happen? Right. It's just my imagination. That's all."  
  
"A-ha! I found it. Would you like strawberry, blueberry, or grape?"  
  
"I think strawberry will do."  
  
"Right, then. Strawberry it is."  
  
They ate their breakfast while the sun rose. While taking her fourth helping (there was still a whole lot more to go), an owl tapped at the kitchen window. Aunt Trish quickly stood up and opened the window. Fay followed her. The owl stood on the windowsill while Aunt Trish took the letter off its leg. She sat down at the table again and read. Fay still stayed near the window observing the owl very carefully.  
  
"My, my you look like a wonderful owl. Your feathers are so sleek and shiny. I supposed your owner must take very good care of you." She stroked the owl with one of her fingers. The owl cooed in appreciation.  
  
"He's a school owl, dear."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The letters from Dumbledore. He says that the Ministry's approved his request. He also sent us a copy. This is good. Now, we can start lessons on all the subjects you need to know today. Oh, I have to write a reply." She looked at the owl. "Could you please wait for me while I go make one?"  
  
The owl cooed once again, and Aunt Trish dashed upstairs to write her letter.  
  
"Would you like some waffles?" Fay asked the owl. It cooed once again. She laughed. "I thought so." She took another plate from the cupboard and placed a waffle on it. She laid the plate on the counter. The owl began tearing up the waffle and eating the pieces.  
  
"Oh water!" Fay then ran off and got a bowl of water for the owl to drink. When she was satisfied that she did the best she could to show hospitality, she leaned on the counter.  
  
"I wonder if you have a name...how about I name you!?" The owl was still eating. "Hmm.What do you think of Mordecai?"  
  
It stopped eating and looked at Fay, but it quickly went back to eating again.  
  
"I guess that means you like it."  
  
Just then, Aunt Trish came into the kitchen. "Okay I'm done," said Aunt Trish and tied the note securely to the owl's leg.  
  
"Bye, Mordecai." The owl looked at Fay and flew away.  
  
"You gave it a name?" Aunt Trish laughed.  
  
"Yes, why?"  
  
Aunt Trish was still laughing a little. "Oh nothing. I just think it's cute." Fay gave her a confused look, which made Aunt Trish stop laughing. "Never mind. Let's put these dishes away. I do believe we've had more than enough for breakfast. Don't you think?"  
  
Fay laughed. "Yes. More than enough."  
  
They cleared the table and headed towards the living room. Fay sat down on the love seat, while Aunt Trish stood in front of the fireplace.  
  
"Okay. We'll spend the next two weeks on the basics for Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, and Herbology. We'll try to get the boring stuff out of the way as soon as possible so today we'll start with History of Magic. Then, we'll take a look at Defense Against the Dark Arts, and finish the day off with Potions. I realized that we have a lot to cover and that is why we'll start lessons at seven o'clock in the morning and end at eight o'clock at night. That means each lesson will take four hours. We'll have an hour break at twelve for lunch, of course. Oh, and Saturdays will be spent on extra lessons that you didn't do too well in during the week."  
  
"Wow," Fay said in amazement, "You're not nervous anymore are you?"  
  
"Actually, no I'm not. It's odd, really. After that whole thing in the kitchen, I feel much better. I guess those feelings weren't as strong as I thought they were." Fay nodded her head. "Okay, let's begin. Your "History of Magic" book is beside the coffee table, and you'll find your parchment and quill there, too.  
  
Aunt Trish began her lesson and Fay realized she wasn't kidding about the History of Magic being boring. No, Fay didn't think it was boring. It was TORTURE. Aunt Trish tried to make the lesson go by quickly, but there were so many names and dates to remember Fay lost interest.  
  
"This is just the FIRST lesson," Fay thought, "Ugh, I wonder how many lessons I'm going to have to take of this. Wait! She just mentioned a name. What was it? Emeric the Evil." She scribbled down his name and tried again to listen to Aunt Trish.  
  
Lunch passed by so fast, Fay wondered if she really had any lunch at all. Before she knew it, she was back in the living room. This time she hoped for something more exciting. Today's lesson was on creatures that loved the dark like Dugbogs, Ghouls, Imps, Lethifolds, Boggarts, and Mooncalves. Aunt Trish explained all the facts she could about these creatures while Fay happily took notes. Fay was a little frightened when she heard about Lethifolds (creatures that eat humans after smothering them, and leaving no trace behind). However, she was greatly relieved after she found out they only live in the tropics.  
  
"Umm--," Aunt Trish said in a questioning tone.  
  
Fay looked up. It was the first time today Aunt Trish sounded like she didn't know what to say.  
  
"Well, I'm done with my lesson for this class."  
  
"Already?!" Fay shouted in her head.  
  
"But I think you should do homework."  
  
"Oh okay. No problem."  
  
"Okay!" Aunt Trish cheered up a bit. "Tomorrow I'm expecting to see an essay about the connections you see among the creatures of the dark. I'm expecting it to be at least two feet."  
  
"Um.okay, Aunt Trish," Fay was scared. "Two feet?" she asked herself, "My first assignment is a two feet long essay? That's so long! Can I do this? No, I shouldn't be asking myself if I can or cannot. I should just do it. I have to, and I will!! Ugh, but why did it have to be two feet...?"  
  
"Okay, let's go to the kitchen. We should start on our Potions lesson. It's already 3:50."  
  
Aunt Trish took out her cauldron and various ingredients. She talked about the effects of roots. What type of plants are good for what, and which ones are more powerful than the others. They made a shrinking potion with chopped up daisy roots and had fun shrinking some things that weren't needed in the house. They shrunk some of Aunt Trish's old clothes and put it on one of her old dolls.  
  
"Fay, I want you to write up a foot and a half essay about the importance of roots, okay?"  
  
"Okay." She put another drop of the shrinking potion on a banana. She laughed as it became the size of a peanut. Then, she peeled and ate the banana.  
  
"Oh, that's right! Dinner!" Aunt Trish ran and started fixing up dinner (baked chicken, more waffles, and pumpkin juice). Aunt Trish and Fay finally went to their bedrooms, but unlike Aunt Trish, Fay had homework to do.  
  
She sat down at her study desk with her books, quill, and parchment in front of her. She took a deep breath and opened "The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection". She started to read up on her creatures and when she was done, she found out that writing the essay wasn't too hard. In fact, it only took her about forty-five minutes to write. It was only nine fifty- three when she finished so she decided to read the book some more. It was only until eleven o'clock that she decided to stop reading her books (apparently, she was a fast reader because she finished "The Dark Forces" and was about halfway through with "One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi").  
  
She turned off the lights and hopped into bed. She looked at her desk. She didn't get to finish her Potions homework, and she felt bad. Then again, she could always finish it up tomorrow. Even though she told herself these things, she couldn't fall asleep.  
  
She got out of bed and finished her homework in thirty minutes flat. With a feeling of satisfaction, she went to bed.  
  
....To Be Continued....  
  
---------------------------  
  
A/N: Ah yes..another chapter done, and corrected by Miss Marz my new beta reader! Thank you!! Her pen name is fenix and you'll find her on my favorite authors list. Go and check her story out. I'm sure you won't regret it. 


	7. New Discoveries

Chapter Rating: PG  
  
Completion Date: 080503  
  
--------------------------------  
  
The next day wasn't that different from yesterday. They ate an early breakfast and had an early lesson. They started off with Transfiguration. Aunt Trish's lessons were already improving. She started off the Transfiguration lesson by saying, "Transfiguration is a difficult subject, but if you can master the basics then the rest should be easy. Now, Transfiguration, just like many other wand based subjects, relies on four things: wand movement, incantation, pronunciation, and concentration..."  
  
They started out with a simple spell which turned a match into a pin. Fay surprisingly had a difficult time. It was so difficult that she was assigned to turn five matches into pins.  
  
After Transfiguration they ate lunch, had a little dose of Herbology, and finally ended the day with Charms and more homework, (which was ironic to Fay because all they'd been doing was work at home). Most of her homework, however, consisted of a lot of wand work. She had to practice the Levitation Charm and write a foot long essay on the plant she had just learned about.  
  
That night Fay sat on her desk and in front of her laid six matches (one was to be used to practice the Levitation Charm), parchment, a quill, and her Herbology book. She decided to do her assignments by level of difficulty, Transfiguration, Charms, and then Herbology. After an hour passed, she made five crude pins (they weren't that pointy).  
  
Frustration began to bundle up when she did her Charms assignment. She placed the match a couple of inches away from her. She made sure it was pointing to the left (why she did this, she didn't know). Then she picked up her wand, waved it just like she did with Aunt Trish, and said, "Wing- gar-di-um Le-vi-O-sa!" Nothing happened to the match. "Bloody hell. Not this again." She repeated the incantation again putting the stress on the "O", "Wing-gar-di-um Le-vi-O-sa!". Nothing happened. She was about to say it again when she paused.  
  
She knew she didn't HAVE to do the assignment. It was just for practice. Aunt Trish would never know that she didn't do it, but Fay wanted to be better. Dumbledore had faith in her. Then a thought came over her, "What if he was wrong? What if I'm not a witch? I can't even do a simple first year spell!!" She breathed deeply. Of course, there was going to be work. Everything wasn't going to be easy. So she tried it again.  
  
"Wingardium Leviosa! Wingardium Leviosa! Wingarduim Leviosa. Wingardium Leviosa. Wingardium LevioSA!! Ugh!"  
  
She threw her wand onto the desk and stared at the match. The most it did was shake, but that was probably because she was hitting the desk while screaming the stupid incantation. She was still staring at the match. She hated it. "Stupid little piece of wood! You mock me every time you just sit there. Why won't you float? Crikey, how many times do I have to say it? Wingardium Leviosa!"  
  
Just then, it began to float. It slowly rose higher and higher, but when she looked at her wand, which was still idle on her desk, the match fell. "I did it without my wand. Is this bad? Aunt Trish always uses her wand..." She looked at the match once again, and tried to turn it into a pin without her wand. This time it turned into a perfect pin. It was silver, smooth, and very pointy. "Whoa...this is...uh...OKAY! I'm done with my homework for Charms. Now where's my book?"  
  
She needed to occupy herself with something else. She didn't want to look like a freak. Things were already bad enough as it is. "Oh I'm a girl that came out of no where, lost her memory, and doesn't use a wand to do magic. Perfectly normal, of course," she told herself, "I should tell Aunt Trish this. Maybe she can help me...but what if she starts treating me funny because of this? No...! It can't be that bad. Can it?" She shook her head and proceeded to do her Herbology homework.  
  
Maybe it was because she was starting to get used to her new life. Maybe it was because she was excited from what she just discovered, or perhaps she was naturally a fast reader. Whatever the reason was, Fay found out that writing and reading about her essays didn't take long at all. She actually enjoyed reading her books.  
  
She indulged herself in her books that night. She wanted to keep her mind off her wand incident, and she did. She finished reading all of her course books. Not only did she read them, she MEMORIZED them. She didn't do it intentionally, but every time a reference was made, she would recall everything she read about that particular subject. "There's another discovery...hmm..."  
  
She turned around and saw her bed. Before she knew it, she was in it and pulling her blanket closer to herself.  
  
--She was on a beach. The ocean was a bright bluish-green. There were huge waves on her left. They were heading toward her. She thought they were going to hit her but they turned left. A surfer fell off because he couldn't balance himself. He ended up on the shore next to Fay. "Whoo- hooo!" he screamed and dived back into the ocean.  
  
"Dived? Isn't that area supposed to be shallow?" Fay wondered. She looked at the ground closely. It was covered in sand, but it was like a poolside. It only went up to that line before it became deep water. "Everyone looks like they're having so much fun and the water looks so clear..." she didn't hold back anymore. She took a couple of steps back and ran towards the ocean. She dived and found an entire clan of seals and walruses under the ocean surface. They were being carried by a current and she was in it too. She tried to swim the other way, but the current was too strong. So she gave in and swam with the walruses.  
  
She couldn't hold her breath any longer. She tried to pop her head out of the water, but it was like there was a rubber ceiling that prevented her from going to the surface. There was nothing she could do. She had to breath...and so she did. She closed her eyes and inhaled...but water didn't fill her lungs. It was air. She opened her eyes. "I can breath under water?"--  
  
"Fay? Fay...?"  
  
Fay slightly opened her eyes..."It was a dream," she thought.  
  
"Fay?" Aunt Trish asked again.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Wake up. It's almost 6:45."  
  
"Oh, sorry."  
  
Breakfast carried on as usual, but lessons were a little different that day. Aunt Trish began her lesson on Goblin Rebellion, when Fay raised her hand. She felt silly since she was the only one, but she thought it was the right thing to do.  
  
"Yes, Fay?" Aunt Trish asked.  
  
"I didn't mean to ruin your lesson, but I already know all about the Goblin Rebellion. I read about it in the textbook. In fact, I've already read all the text books."  
  
"I see. Well, you may have read all the books, but do you understand and remember what they said? Let me see your homework for this class."  
  
Fay brought it up to Aunt Trish and she began to read it.  
  
"Very good. Full marks, but let's test your knowledge of the Goblin Rebellion. Tell me everything you know about it."  
  
"Right now?"  
  
"Yes, and tell it to me. I do not want you to write it. This way you'll be practicing your presentation skills."  
  
"Oh...um...okay."  
  
So Fay told Aunt Trish EVERYTHING she knew about the Goblin Rebellion, which took about two hours.  
  
"...And that was how the Goblin Rebellion ended," Fay concluded. Her voice was parched from all the talking. So she went to get a glass of water. When she came back, Aunt Trish was still sitting in the love seat.  
  
"Fay come here and stand in front of me."  
  
Fay was scared. Did she forget something? Was she completely wrong?  
  
"You amaze me," said Aunt Trish, "You're absolutely correct. You got everything down to the very last detail. Absolutely astonishing! And you say, you've read them all?" Fay nodded with a look of confusion all over her face. "Do you think you've memorized them all as well?" Fay nodded once again. "Good! Oh this is very good. This way, we won't spend as much time on the basics and we can move on. You know, I'll have to test you on all these subjects just to make sure. Why don't we start on Friday? Oh, this is great news! I think I'll make a cake!" She stood up and ran towards the kitchen.  
  
Fay stood there in front of the couch, looking at the doorway. "...But I'm not hungry..."  
  
"What flavor would you like?" Aunt Trish shouted from the kitchen, "Chocolate, strawberry, or coffee?"  
  
"Strawberry." Fay replied.  
  
An hour later, they were eating cake.  
  
"Wonderful. Now, the only thing we have to practice is the practical part of each subject. You know, they usually have two parts to a big test. A written exam and a practical exam," Aunt Trish explained, "but I'm sure you'll find both easy if you just do what you did in the living room."  
  
"Thanks Aunt Trish, but--um--when can you give me flying lessons?" Fay was going to tell her about the wand incident, but thought that she should break the news to Aunt Trish tomorrow. She seemed to be so happy today.  
  
"Flying lessons? Hmm...How about on Saturday? But only if you score well on your tests."  
  
"Okay, then."  
  
After eating two pieces of cake, they went outside to tend to the garden. Aunt Trish watered the flowers, or, rather, she made water cans water them for her. She watched over them. The sun was shining above making all the colors from the various flowers more vibrant.  
  
"I can't say it enough. I'm so proud of you, Fay."  
  
"Thank you, Aunt Trish. It really means a lot to me. How about you? Did your parents ever give you this much praise? Or...I hope you don't mind me asking, but how come I never see pictures of your parents?"  
  
She gave a sarcastic laugh. "Parents? As far as they're concerned, they only have one daughter, and that's not me."  
  
"Oh, so you have a sister. Well, maybe she liked you."  
  
"Yes, a twin sister, but I highly doubt that. My sister was Aramintha Mehflua. Always perfect in everything that she did. You see, Fay, I came from a pure-blooded family who were highly selective with the people they chose to associate themselves with. They hated Muggles, half-breeds, and pure-bloods that loved muggles. I never saw it their way. What's so bad about people who can't do magic? It was my misfortune in asking them this because they started to treat me differently afterwards. My father told me, 'Muggles are foul creatures that will ALWAYS be below us, and don't you ever think any different of them.' They used that as a sign of weakness.  
  
"Aramintha, however, tortured the house elves, teased all the half-breeds that she came across, and got into Slytherin. Oh, yes, mother and father were very proud of her. Do you remember what Slytherin was?"  
  
"Yes, actually, it wouldn't matter if I did or not. They talk about it in the text books."  
  
"Oh right. So as I was saying, Aramintha got into Slytherin, but I was placed in Hufflepuff. Ha! That must of made my parents cringe. The moment they heard about which houses we were placed into, they sent us each a package and a letter. I don't know what Aramintha's letter said, but mine was horrible. I remember it perfectly...  
  
'It has come to my attention Patricia, that you have not been meeting our standards. You being sorted into Hufflepuff is an absolute disgrace to our family name. Goodness, being sorted into Gryffindor would have been better than Hufflepuff. Must I remind you that those who enter the Hufflepuff house never achieve worthwhile? I had hoped that you would turn out to be like your sister, but this has given me proof that it will never happen. Please, do not disappoint us more than you already have.  
  
-From your father'  
  
"I believe I received three very dry and coarse cookies, while Armintha got a pile of moist luscious brownies. That letter was a lie though. No matter what I did, I could never earn the respect of my parents. I was a prefect, who got five O.W.Ls and Aramintha was a Chaser with three O.W.Ls, but my parents shunned me. When I was in the running for Head Girl, my parents never even talked about it. Oh, but when they found out Aramintha had a chance at being team captain they did everything they could to make sure she got the spot. I dropped out of the running because I didn't see the use, but once my parents found out they looked down on me even more," Aunt Trish paused. She watched as a butterfly landed on a flower in front of her. However, the beauty of the entire scene didn't register in her brain. The scars that she obtained from the past were all too strong to ignore, and she continued on with her story.  
  
"'You had a chance at being the best, but you, yet again, let the opportunity pass you by. I expect that much from you,' my father said.  
  
"Mother would never really talk, look and let alone, touch me after my first year. Things got worse during my last year at Hogwarts. I started dating Otis Hopkirk. He came from a Muggle family. Of course, Aramintha told my parents, but I didn't care. I was happy. He finally gave me what I wanted. He CARED about me. He didn't discourage me or judge me. Yes, I do believe I fell in love that year, but my father saw to it that I be punished, but his plan took a while before it came into place.  
  
"I moved out as soon as I graduated. Otis and I kept in contact with one another and we were even thinking about moving in together. However, my father was going to punish me one last time before he disowned me. He made Otis's life miserable. He made sure that no one would hire Otis. His parents were very old and they were depending on him to support them. He desperately needed a job. Then he received that letter from Father. Father told him to end our relationship if he ever wanted to find a decent job. Of course, Otis ended it. He wanted to stop seeing me; to stop hearing from me; to stop being near me. He never went through such problems before, and he thought I was the cause of all his pain.  
  
"I guess I came to the conclusion that he never cared about me. No one ever did. Not even my family!" Aunt Trish sighed. Tears were forming behind her eyes, her lips were trembling, and her nose was beginning to run.  
  
That's when two arms wrapped around her. She blinked and the two tears fell. She turned her head to the side and saw Fay's head leaning on her shoulder. Fay looked up and she, too, had tears in her eyes.  
  
With a soft and delicate voice, Fay said, "I care about you."  
  
Fay gave Aunt Trish a faint smile. Aunt Trish couldn't contain herself any longer. She cried and hugged Fay with all her might.  
  
Aunt Trish began to calm down. "Fay?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me. I'm really glad you're here with me."  
  
"So am I, Aunt Trish, so am I."  
  
...To Be Continued....  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
A/N: Okay I'm not sure if I should have made them declare love for one another since they've only been together for two or three days? lol. (Thankies to Marz she made the end sound much much better!)  
  
Oh and notice how Aunt Trish's dad doesn't even want to sign letter. He doesn't want his name on a letter that was being sent to a girl he wasn't proud to have as a daughter. I just thought it would be an equivalent to not having the letter sealed with the family crest.  
  
lol Sorry to those who want her to meet up with everyone else, but I hope you'll be patient. I'm writing this story at my pace (even though I hate the pace, too). She still needs to take the test and then..everything will be related to the other characters (hopefully).  
  
Also, if you want to see how things are progressing (and maybe see some hints to future chapters), just go to my ujournal. The link is up on my profile. 


	8. Insecurities

Chapter Rating: PG  
  
Completion Date: 080603  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Aunt Trish sighed. She had to fix breakfast soon. She couldn't believe she told Fay everything. She hadn't told anybody about those things in a VERY long time. Sure the whole entire school new about her family's drama. There was just no way for anyone to keep a secret in Hogwarts, not forever anyway. Besides, it wasn't too big of a deal. They eventually forgot about it once a new and more juicier secret was revealed. "But I trust Fay," she said to her herself, "Fay would never intentionally try to hurt me."  
  
However, Aunt Trish more than trusted Fay. She cared about her, and every day that passed she was beginning to think of her more as a daughter. Aunt Trish looked at the clock. It was getting close to 6:30. She was still a little sleepy. She was busy last night making tests for Charms, Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Still, she managed to go downstairs and start her day.  
  
Meanwhile, Fay woke up and sat on the edge of her bed. "Did I have any homework last night?" She was worried because last night she didn't do anything. She fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow. "I guess it was because yesterday was a very busy one." She reflected on yesterday's events and it made her feel nice knowing that she was appreciated. The sun was starting to rise so Fay went downstairs with a little trot.  
  
Lessons started not too long after that and Aunt Trish began her usual explanation of the day's schedule. "I'll just give a quick review for tomorrow's test and then we'll practice on your Charm and Transfiguration work."  
  
"Oh, okay," Fay hadn't told Aunt Trish about the discovery she made the other night. She was still afraid of how Aunt Trish would react. She hoped that there would be something in the books that she read that would help her, but they were only books that the first years read. They barely provided much information. All they really told her was that few wizards and witches could do it.  
  
"But Aunt Trish told me a lot of things yesterday. Maybe I should trust her too." Fay was about to tell Aunt Trish everything when the reviews began.  
  
"Although there are many spells, charms, and potions that wizards can use to help them get what they desire, "Aunt Trish began, "there are some things that can not be done. Like bringing back the dead, for example."  
  
Fay didn't want to interrupt Aunt Trish so she decided to wait until they were going to practice using their wands.  
  
Lunch came as quickly as it had left. Fay had to tell Aunt Trish the truth very soon. Her heart was beating so hard she thought it was going to burst out of her chest. The time to say the truth came when Aunt Trish asked for the matches that were supposed to be pins.  
  
She forgot the pins in her bedroom! "Yes!" she thought, "more time to think about what I'm going to say!"  
  
"Oh, I forgot them in my room. Hold on," said Fay.  
  
"All right, but hurry up will you?"  
  
"I will," said a fading voice from the staircase.  
  
She found the pins on her desk, five pins that looked an awful lot like hotdogs and one pin looking like a regular pin. "Okay I'm going to tell her that I left the window open one night and lightning struck me, while I as doing my homework. I dropped my wand as I said the incantation and the match turned into a perfect pin. No...a storm hasn't hit since I came here. The truth! I should tell her the truth... It's the least I could do. But what should I say? Too long. I've been up here too long." She took a deep breath and went back downstairs.  
  
"That's what you call 'hurrying up'?" Aunt Trish laughed.  
  
"Sorry, I lost one. It took me a while before I found it under my bed." Fay handed Aunt Trish the five "pins". Aunt Trish had a small look of disappointment or sadness Fay couldn't really tell. All she knew was that it hurt to see it on Aunt Trish's face.  
  
"Oh, and I made another one out of the match you gave me to practice the Levitation Charm." Fay gave the sixth pin to her.  
  
Aunt Trish examined it for a second and said, "Perfect. This pin is perfect, but what I don't get is how did your ability improve so quickly. Usually you see a gradual improvement in the finished works, but the first five pins look exactly the same..."  
  
"That's because...well, I have something to...er...tell you." Aunt Trish was sitting in the love seat waiting to see what Fay had to say.  
  
"I um.madethelastpinwithoutawand," Fay said the rest of the sentence so fast that they meshed together.  
  
"What was that, dear?"  
  
"I .err.made the last pin without a wand.." Fay bent her head and looked at the ground. She didn't want to see how Aunt Trish's face would look from the shock.  
  
"I see..."  
  
"That's it?" thought Fay, "that's all she's going to say?"  
  
"Could you show me how you did it?"  
  
Fay looked up. Aunt Trish didn't look mad, sad, or disappointed. She looked curious, and this made Fay confused. "Umm.okay, but I'm going to need another match."  
  
"Oh right. I forgot. Silly me." Aunt Trish went into the kitchen and got another match.  
  
Fay did her "trick" and Aunt Trish sat there looking amazed.  
  
"Fay," her tone was very serious, "you realize that there aren't a lot of wizards or witches who can do this right?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sorry."  
  
"Sorry for what? This ability of yours is a gift! Only very POWERFUL wizards and witches can do this. Here I want you to try some spells...without your wand. Just follow what I do okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
So began the beginning of a very tiring practice session. Aunt Trish made Fay do all sorts of spells. (Aunt Trish especially enjoyed the Cheering Charm, but Fay wasn't sure if it was because of the spell or not). Fay turned furniture into animals, Summoned and Banished Objects, and even did a couple of hexes on some spiders that they found outside.  
  
"Splendid! Another perfect transformation. Fay, you can rest here. I'm quite sure you've had an exhausting day. I'll make dinner."  
  
She sank into the love seat but wasn't satisfied with sitting down. She lay down. This was a difficult task since the love seat couldn't provide enough room for her entire body. So she let her legs hang on the side. "I didn't think practicing magic would take so much energy from me," she thought aloud.  
  
Actually, it was the last thing she thought about before she became sleepy, but that's when Aunt Trish announced dinner was ready.  
  
"Umpf." Fay got up and dragged her feet towards the kitchen. They ate lasagna for dinner that night.  
  
"I'll be planning my lessons differently. Honestly, Fay you keep surprising me. Not that it's a bad thing. Oh, and I'm certainly not telling you to always keep me surprised," Aunt Trish was talking the same way she did when she found out Fay memorized all the books.  
  
"Uh-huh," Fay managed to mumble before putting another scoop into her mouth.  
  
"At this rate, we'll be finished with the school's requirements in three week's time. That gives us lots of time to review all that you've learned. Which reminds me you have to pick a few more subjects. There's a whole load you can choose from: Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, Muggle Studies, Ancient Runes, Divination, and Astronomy, but I guess I'll just make a list so you don't have to remember them all right now. You can tell me which ones you want to take on Sunday or Monday."  
  
"Uh-huh," Fay repeated. There was very little left on her plate, while Aunt Trish had barely touched her meal. To be honest, Fay barely heard a word from Aunt Trish. She was too sleepy. When she finished, she offered to clean up before going to bed.  
  
"No thank you, dear. I can do it when I'm done eating. Besides, you look so tired that you could fall asleep while you stand."  
  
"Mmm..." Fay was slightly swaying from side to side.  
  
"See? Go ahead and sleep."  
  
Fay turned around and headed towards the staircase. She stood in front of the numerous amounts of stairs and grunted. Since when did they have so many stairs? With much effort she reached the top, forgot to brush her teeth, didn't change into her pajamas, and collapsed on her bed. Once again, she fell asleep the moment her head hit the soft material. This time, however, she snored a little bit.  
  
*******  
  
"How could this be?" Aunt Trish wondered, "How could she do it? She barely knew anything when she first did it. Well true, she knew most of the book by then, but they were only beginner books. I have to tell Dumbledore this."  
  
She got up and proceeded to go to her bedroom, but she remembered about the dirty dishes. She went back and picked up the plates on the table. "Wait a second. I'm a witch." She waved her wand and the dishes went into the sink. They also took the liberty of washing themselves. "Much better," she said with an accomplished tone and went upstairs to write a letter to Dumbledore.  
  
The letter didn't take a long time to write. All she mentioned was Fay's ability to do magic without a wand and to memorize books with just a simple glance. Nothing much really. Aunt Trish laughed at the simplicity of the letter. She got up and went to get her owl. She stopped in front of her bedroom door before realizing, "I don't have and owl! I forgot about that! Really. I told her she could borrow him for just a month. I guess I'll have to send this letter tomorrow. No wait. I can't do that. Fay has to take her tests tomorrow. Well, I can leave while she takes a test. Yes, and I can put anti-cheating spells on the quills, but what if someone tries to rob the house when I'm gone? What if Fay gets hurt when I'm not around? I can't leave! Oh, I remember now...Dumbledore is our Secret-Keeper. Okay...I'll leave when she takes her History of Magic test."  
  
Aunt Trish turned off the lights and settled down in her bed. She repeatedly reassured herself that nothing wrong would happen when she was gone. After all, Dumbledore was their Secret-Keeper. What could go wrong?  
  
Suddenly, she sprang upright with her eyes wide open. "What if he tells?!?! No. You have to stop thinking like that. You're being way too paranoid about things. Trust in Dumbledore. He trusted you. You should do the same. Okay, self. I'll go and do that..."  
  
She tried once again to fall asleep. "Nothing will happen to Fay while I'm gone. She'll be fine just like she is right now. See? The house is completely quiet. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nope...maybe it's a little bit too quiet. Is she okay?"  
  
Aunt Trish jumped out of her bed and ran towards Fay's room, which was right next to hers so she didn't really run. She just took really big steps. She opened the door expecting the worse, when she saw Fay lying down on her stomach. One leg wasn't on the bed so she decided to scoot Fay farther into her bed. She also placed a blanket on top of Fay and tucked her in.  
  
"She looks like she just tripped and landed on the bed." Aunt Trish smiled as she watched Fay sleep. "How could I have thought she wouldn't be able to take care of herself? Sleeping like an angel." Fay snorted. "Aww.and she's drooling too. Poor thing. What a tiring day it must have been for her."  
  
Aunt Trish tip toed out of the room and carefully closed the door. At her third attempt, she was finally able to fall asleep.  
  
....To Be Continued....  
  
----------------------------------  
  
A/N: Ah-hah-ha-ha! I took that drooling stuff from my experiences, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I drool when I'm really really tired. I got Fay's snoring from my mom. The next morning I asked her if she had a busy day and she usually says, "Yeah, how did you know?" (lol) Secret..  
  
To be honest, I made Aunt Trish paranoid because I didn't know what else to put. Even though I added that part this chapter is really short (compared to my other chapters). I'm sorry. 


	9. Old Acquaintances

Chapter Rating: PG  
  
Completion Date: 080703  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Friday morning came, as did the tests. Fay didn't study, of course, but she didn't need to. As soon as the test touched the desk, her quill was moving with a feverish speed. One would think that if she didn't finish the test in five minutes, she would explode.  
  
Aunt Trish was very happy to see that Fay was occupied with her test. "This way, she won't notice my absence," thought Aunt Trish. "Now, I wonder how I should get to Tryphaena's house. Floo power? No.she blew up her chimney last summer. Broom? No.too much of a risk. Muggles might see me. Okay! Walking it is."  
  
"Aunt Trish?"  
  
"Yes? What is it, dear?"  
  
"I'm done."  
  
"Already? But it's only been," Aunt Trish looked her watch, "Thirty minutes!"  
  
"Yes, but I'm done."  
  
"Hmm...Let me have a look at it."  
  
Aunt Trish walked over to the table and saw that then entire roll of parchment was covered. Sure, Fay separated things into paragraphs, but besides that, there were no other spaces.  
  
"I see. Well, Fay, I really have to send a letter off this morning, and I need an owl. A witch in town borrowed mine, and I was about to go to her place. Seeing how you already finished this test in thirty minutes maybe I'll just leave the other five next to you as well. Just promise me you won't leave this house, while I'm gone, okay?"  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Oh, and I know I don't have to tell you this, but I don't want you cheating while I'm away."  
  
"Aunt Trish, why would I need to cheat?"  
  
"Oh, right. Well I'm just taking some precautions. That's all."  
  
Fay laughed. "Aunt Trish, I thought you had to send a letter."  
  
"I'm going. I'm going." She put the other test papers on Fay's desk and left. As she stepped onto the road, she saw that the sun was shining and there weren't that many clouds in the sky.  
  
"Well, at least I don't have to worry about the weather." She took a deep breath and began walking. Aunt Trish rarely ever took that path. She never really went to the market in that town. She usually went to Diagon Alley.  
  
The witch she was about to see was an old friend of hers. They met through her parents. Tryphaena always made deals with dark wizards. She was one of the best potion makers around and she specialized in the darkest potions that ever existed. Tryphaena wasn't really a bad witch. She didn't hate anyone. She didn't intentionally try to hurt people. Well...not anymore. She just had an interest in seeing things get tortured, but she mostly practiced on small creatures such as insects and rats.  
  
Aunt Trish always enjoyed the visits that her and her father made to Tryphaena's house. Tryphaena would always give Aunt Trish little gifts when no one was looking, and sometimes she would even give Aunt Trish a Galleon on her birthday.  
  
Aunt Trish was slowly approaching the house. It was located just on the outskirts of town. The entire cottage looked beat up. Half of the chimney was gone. The roof looked like it was going to cave in, and the two most rusted hinges you ever saw were attached to the door.  
  
She knocked.  
  
"Come in. Come in!" a very coarse and shaky voice called from within the house.  
  
Aunt Trish opened the door and found Tryphaena near the corner looking at a couple of jars with various colored liquids.  
  
"Ah.It's only you Trish. Well, it's been a long time since I last saw you, and I see that time is catching up with you as well." Tryphaena smiled and all the lines on her faces manipulated themselves to form an awkward pattern.  
  
Aunt Trish looked at the jars once again before saying, "Oh, Aunt Tryphaena. I thought you were going to stop. What if you get into trouble again? And at your age?"  
  
"Don't you worry about me. Let them do as they wish. It's about my time to go anyway." Tryphaena walked towards her rocking chair, and slowly eased herself into it.  
  
"If that's what you prefer. Well, I came here to use Amycus. Why didn't you send him back to me?"  
  
"Oh, you know very well why I didn't send him back."  
  
"Yes, you wanted to keep him."  
  
"Always the smart one, you were. That's why I favored you, you know?"  
  
"Yes, you've told me countless times before."  
  
"Well, go on. He's in his cage in the corner."  
  
"Why are you rushing me? Do you have any customers coming in today?"  
  
"Always the smart one."  
  
Aunt Trish tied the letter onto Amycus, and he flew off.  
  
"I'm going then. Good bye, Aunt Tryphaena."  
  
"G'bye, love."  
  
Aunt Trish opened the door and there stood two men. Both with the same cold, gray eyes, the same pale, pointed face, and the same golden locks.  
  
"Malfoy's," Aunt Trish whispered.  
  
The tall one she knew as Lucius. He was supposed to be in Azkaban for helping He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but he was released for "good deeds". The smaller one (well, he wasn't that short. He was just one or two inches away from Lucius), seemed to be his son. He looked around Fay's age, but she wasn't too sure. He looked awfully scared, almost as if he's seen a ghost. "Well, I can't blame him," thought Aunt Trish, "With a father like Lucius, who wouldn't be scared?"  
  
"Well, well. Ms. Mehflua, here?" Lucius had a smirk on his face as if he was planning an evil scheme in his head.  
  
Aunt Trish pushed passed him. "Move away Malfoy. I have no time for the likes of you."  
  
Without turning back Lucius retorted, "Ah...but Araminta, you are one of us. Oh, wait," he turned around, "I mean, Patricia. How is your dear sister? Still perfect as usual?"  
  
Aunt Trish paused. She wanted to hit him with a hex so much, but she had to return to Fay. So she just continued walking without saying a word.  
  
"See, Draco? Muggle lovers are absolutely pathetic. They will always be below us, and think nothing different."  
  
"Yes, father."  
  
"Good."  
  
However, Draco never kept his eyes off of the old woman his father referred to as Patricia Mehflua. "That was the same lady from Diagon Alley," he thought. In fact, the moment he saw her, he began to look inside the house to see if the young girl would be with her again. Then again, his father told him she was a Muggle lover. The girl must be one, too. Still, there was no harm in trying to look at her. Wait, what was he doing? He was frantically searching for a girl? He never did that. No. That was the girl's part. They were the ones who usually dragged on him and followed him around. He made a note to himself: "Forget about that girl. She is nothing."  
  
He followed his father into the house, and subconsciously wondered what color the girl's eyes were.  
  
****************  
  
Aunt Trish practically stomped throughout the entire trip back home. "Right. It had to be a Malfoy that knew about my history," Aunt Trish thought aloud, "Yes, of course, Aramintha would like you. Did I ever tell you she liked your older brother? What you knew? Oh yes, that's right. It was a happy day when he refused to be her boyfriend. What a HAPPY DAY INDEED!" She slammed the door shut and saw Fay jump in her seat.  
  
"I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a bit angry. You can continue on with your tests. By the way, how many have you completed?"  
  
"Five."  
  
"Out of six?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh.okay. I guess I'll let you finish the last one. You are on your last one, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I'm just going to be in the kitchen when you're done.... Drinking tea... Yes... Relaxing tea... Kitchen.I'm going."  
  
Fay giggled. "Okay, Aunt Trish."  
  
Aunt Fay made tea, and just as she took her first sip, Fay came in.  
  
"I'm not surprised. Well you can put in on the counter, there."  
  
Fay did as she was told and took the other seat at the dining table.  
  
"Tea?"  
  
"No thank you."  
  
"Suit yourself."  
  
"Aunt Trish?"  
  
She was taking another sip. "Mmm ... Yes?"  
  
"Why were you so angry?"  
  
"Well, I guess it's really nothing. I shouldn't bother myself over him. People like him always enjoy making people like me feel the way I did."  
  
"People like who?"  
  
"Malfoys."  
  
"Malfoys?"  
  
"Yes, they are EXACTLY the same as my family. Only they're a bit more open and deceiving. I suggest you stay far away from them. Nothing good ever comes with associating with that family."  
  
"Hmm..."  
  
Fay began to think. After what they did to Aunt Trish, she would never want to even touch them with a broomstick. No. The broom would be tainted after that. Why would you waste a perfectly good broom? You'd have to whack a Malfoy with a broom. Yes, that seemed logical.... Actually, it didn't. Fay just couldn't keep a strong feeling of hatred in her. She wouldn't associate with a Malfoy, but that's it. What good would harming them do? Aunt Trish did say they enjoy making people angry. Trying to hurt them would only prove that they could manipulate you. No, she wouldn't fall for it. She wouldn't allow them to have the advantage.  
  
"Well, since you're done with your tests, maybe we should have lunch. You must be extremely drained from all that brainwork."  
  
"I'm not really hungry right now."  
  
Just then a huge rumble came from Fay's stomach.  
  
"Right then," Aunt Trish continued, "Would you fancy some eggs for lunch?"  
  
Fay gave an embarrassed smile. "Yes, please."  
  
They also ate some crumpets and fried tomatoes for lunch. Once they were full, they cleaned up and Aunt Trish said, "Well, you should be rewarded. I mean there's nothing else to do today. I know. How about I give you those flying lessons?"  
  
"Really?!? I mean, yes! I'd love to have flying lessons today!"  
  
"Okay, but we have to wait until most of the food is digested. Seeing how it's your first time, your food might come back out the way it came in. If you know what I mean."  
  
"Oh I see. Yes...it would be horrible to be underneath me while that was happening wouldn't it?"  
  
"Oh I thought I've already told you. I'm going to be flying with you. I have a Comet two-sixty somewhere here."  
  
"I must've forgotten."  
  
In the mean time, they decided to dust the living room. Actually, they were just pretending to dust things off. They also did their version of French. It was mostly made of up sounds that sounded a lot like gargling sounds.  
  
"Gadetua moshugl zeshumo," said Fay.  
  
Aunt Trish was rolling with laughter, "Very sexy."  
  
"I know." Fay said in her terrible French accent. She continued to dust off an imaginary toilet.  
  
"Oh! Flying les...sons." Aunt Trish paused because Fay seemed to have disappeared. All of a sudden, huge thumps were coming from the staircase.  
  
"I'm ready!"  
  
Aunt Trish looked behind her and saw Fay holding her Nimbus Two Thousand. She was panting very hard but she had a huge smile on her face.  
  
"Ha ha! You'll have to wait for me to get my broom."  
  
Fay looked like her whole world crushed. She wanted to start lessons now.  
  
"Okay. Okay. I'll hurry up."  
  
A few minutes later, they found themselves outside in the garden.  
  
"But there isn't enough space in the backyard. There are a lot of trees here. Are you sure we can practice here?"  
  
"Of course not, there's a lot of trees here because there aren't a lot of trees over ithere/i. You get it?"  
  
"Um...I think I do."  
  
"There's an open field behind these trees, and these trees are here to block any unwanted eyes."  
  
"Oh! Okay."  
  
Once they were out in the field, they laid their brooms onto the ground.  
  
"Okay, the first trick we're going to learn is picking up our brooms," Aunt Trish said.  
  
"Um..."  
  
"...Without touching them while they're on the ground. Stick out your hand so that it's above your broomstick and say 'Up'."  
  
Aunt Trish demonstrated and then it was Fay's turn.  
  
She stuck out her hand and said, "Up." The broom sprang into her hand.  
  
"Good! Now just swing one leg onto the other side and kick the ground to go up, but don't kick too hard or else you'll go too high."  
  
Fay was sitting on her broom, but wasn't sure how she should kick. "Don't think about that!" she thought, "You're wasting precious time that you can be using to fly."  
  
"Okay," she said out loud, "Here I go." She kicked the ground and her went up very steadily, but she found out that the broom wouldn't stop going up. Her heart was beating faster. If she goes any higher the trees wouldn't shield her from view.  
  
"Turn dear! Turn by leaning to your side!" Aunt Trish shouted.  
  
So Fay leaned to her left. "Come on... Turn..!" she told the broom, and it did. Fay was relieved once she was around Aunt Trish's height. Actually, once she started getting the hang of it, she was enjoying the rush of being hundreds of feet above the ground.  
  
Fay was flying everywhere possible on the field they were on, and so was Aunt Trish. In fact, it seemed as though she was enjoying it more than Fay. Well, it seemed.  
  
When Aunt Trish started showing Fay some flying tricks, they started to do combos. Fay would do loop-de-loops while Aunt Trish would zig zag in and out of them. They even tried the Wronskei Feint. Of course, they couldn't get as close to the ground as he did, but they tried it out anyway.  
  
It was a rush for Fay. It felt like she was free. Free from the uncertainty that surrounded her everyday. Free from the pressure to do good. Free from everything. The sun began to set and Aunt Trish ended the lesson.  
  
Fay was sad, but that day was the most amazing one she had since she entered that world. When they were eating dinner, Fay was feeling a bit jet- lagged but she still smiled. It felt good. She could still feel the wind flowing through her hair and hear the rustling of her clothes. She wanted to go out again, but she knew she had to study some more. It's not like she didn't enjoy reading those books, but flying was much more pleasurable.  
  
After dinner, Fay did her night routine (brush her teeth, wash her face, and change into her pajamas) and went to bed.  
  
"I wonder if they'll let me play Quidditch?" she said before falling asleep.  
  
....To Be Continued....  
  
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A/N: This will be the last chapter that is written in two days or less. (lol. Less that two? Hmm....one.) I REALLY have to finish my summer assignments, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing! No, of course not. I just won't be as frequent. When I have time I'll write. lol! I'm sorry. She didn't even get onto the train to Hogwarts, yet. lol! Evil? Just a little...Think of this way. At least there are nine chapters. 


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